


The Division of Our Hearts

by Blueberrychills94



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, Corruption, Downworlders, F/M, Forbidden Love, Hybrid - Freeform, M/M, Malec, Mer-folk, Rebellion, Shadowhunters - Freeform, Vampires, War, Warlocks, Werewolves, fey, the mortal instruments - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-05-24 17:14:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 55,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6160737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberrychills94/pseuds/Blueberrychills94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Downworlders are the enemy, that's what every Shadowhunter is raised to be believe. Do not trust any of them, at all costs. The war between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders had raged for hundreds of years; a blood bath every other day. </p><p>Alec, recently turned eighteen, is new to the fight. However, he has enough blood on his hands to haunt him for the rest of his life. He thinks he's doing the right thing, for the sake of his people but, most importantly, his family. That is, until a glittery warlock named Magnus Bane from the opposing side crashes into his life and steals his heart. </p><p>In a cruel world, can love really prevail?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The Division of Our Hearts

Prologue

The war between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders had raged for hundreds of years. There were rumours about how it began but, after twenty seven generations of fighting and bloodshed, no one could really be sure of the true origin story. All anyone knew was that Downworlders killed Shadowhunters and Shadowhunters hunted Downworlders. Both sides believed that they were on the right side of the war. Both sides believed they were doing the right thing.

Even though the Downworlders outweighed the Shadowhunters in numbers, the latter were stronger in stealth and agility. The numbers problem was because the Downworlders consisted of five groups who worked in alliance with each other; five different species who didn't exactly get along but fought together in allegiance for the war. Vampires; werewolves; fairies; mere-folk; and warlocks all opposed the Shadowhunters, who worked solely as a single species side. But what they lack in numbers, they make up for in experience.

When a child is born into a Shadowhunter family, they are taken to their local institute at the age of five to be trained as soldiers. At the age of eighteen, they are then sent out to fight in the war, with thirteen years of experience under their belts. You fight, you rest, you eat, sleep, and, eventually, die. The cycle of Shadowhunter life is a sad one but it is morally right, in their eyes, for the insurance to win the war. That's all that seemed to matter, now-a-days. Win the war. End it somehow. No matter what it takes.

Maryse and Robert Lightwood were both respectable Shadowhunters. They fought hard every day of their lives and brought many victories of many fights out on the field. The countless awards and commendments they received in their lifetime was still the most to ever be given to a set of soldiers in the history of the war. They died on the field, with honour and valour, leaving their two children behind to carry their legacy once they were old enough to fight.

The Lightwood children never really knew their parents. They were raised in a New York institute, in their parents' hometown, while said parents stayed out in the field nearly 24/7. The youngest Lightwood, Max, was only five years old when Maryse and Robert were killed in a final victory attempt that took the lives of themselves and the entire vampire league that had been converging on the Shadowhunter campground, leaving the eldest, Alexander, to bear the weight of the family history on his shoulders. There was also a middle child, Isabelle, who acted like a second mother to her little brother and was known famously for her ability to boss her older brother about.

No Shadowhunter's life was easy, but some may argue that the Lightwoods had it even rougher than that. However, none of the three children would admit this. They were raised to not complain, to grin and bear the do's they are expected to. The war was everyone's main priority and now, four years after the deaths of Maryse and Robert Lightwood, a light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to become visible. Maybe there was a chance that, after twenty seven generations, the war would end.

The tricky thing was that it wasn't the Shadowhunters who were nearing the victory.

It was the Downworlders.

The tension between both sides was getting tighter and tighter. Needless fights broke out, leading to many unnecessary deaths. The warlocks were gathering bigger and stronger spells. The fairies were becoming more and more devious and deceiving, if that were possible. The werewolves were getting more vicious, the vampires more swift. The mer-folk more enchanting. It was becoming harder and harder for the Shadowhunters to keep up. They were only barely managing.

It was obvious that Shadowhunters and Downworlders didn't mix. They didn't interact with each other. They didn't speak, they couldn't even bear walking on the same side of the pavement together. The only time interaction of any kind took place, it was when they were fighting. Things like love and friendship were out of the question, unspeakable, dishonourable.

Except, two people were about to change that. Two people on opposite sides of the endless war, who were fighting towards the same goal. Two people were about to fall in love.

And nothing would ever be the same again.


	2. Battle at Warren Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec is fresh out of battle, but gets a surprise when he returns to Idris.

Chapter One

There's one thing they never prepare you for in the institute. One thing that can only be learned while out on the field, fighting for your life. That one thing is that actually sinking a weapon into a target is absolutely nothing like sinking a weapon into a living being. There is a world of difference between them both, in terms of moral and of sanity. How could they prepare you for it, anyway? The elders are not there to give lessons on guilt and how it weighs on the mind, they're there to teach the young to fight. To teach them balance and strategy and aim. Stealth, precision, agility. The matters of the mind are nothing to do with the elders. And they like it that way.

A fairy explodes into dust before Alec's eyes. The arrow that had sank into her chest is almost buried in a thick pile of gold glitter and he can barely think twice before he swoops down into her remains and retrieves it, loading his bow and waiting for the next assault. He keeps his back against the wall as the sounds of battle roar in his ears, the screams and shouts deafening, even to someone audibly conditioned like him. Alec tries to keep his mind off the fact that his hand is slathered in gold fairy remains, the dust sparkling on his pale skin almost like a reminder of what he'd just done.

The Battle at Warren Point was into its third day but Alec had only been sent out the previous day to take the place of a solider he did not know who had been killed by a nymph. With three full quivers strapped to his back and a fourth only emptying now, Alec felt comfortable-well, as comfortable as you can be in the middle of a warzone-and confident that he'd make it through.

This was far from Alec's first battle. He knew exactly what he was doing, this was his fifth time being sent out on the field since his eighteenth birthday, after all. The thing about the fairies was that they just kept coming. Their numbers were endless. And, of course, they choose the night of the three day full moon to attack, where they can stream out of the lakes and rivers in dizzying numbers. But this was the third night and if they hung on just a little longer, they might just be able to hold out.

Alec needed a higher vantage point. They higher he was, the clearer his attackers would be. He could pick fairies off like pieces of meat with a tooth pick but they were still deceiving creatures, he didn't like being on the ground while they were so close by. The forest was dark but Alec saw through it like it were daytime. Clary had invented another rune for him before he left the previous night, a gift of good luck she gave every time he was called out. Alec had believed that this particular gift had been relatively pointless as he thought he could use his witch light if he couldn't see but it didn't take him long to realize that this would be unfeasible since he wouldn't have a chance to breathe without letting an arrow fly, let alone hold a witch light for guidance. This time around it was a visionary rune, a simple symbol carved onto the eyelids to improve eyesight, especially at night. People were fighting and dying all around him, the blood of the fallen having stained the soil dark red mixed with sparkling gold.

Keeping on hand firmly gripped around his bow, Alec spun around and threw himself at the wall he had been leaning against, his boots immediately finding grip on the stone and aiding him in heaving himself up as high as he could. From the top of the wall, he could see the battle clearly. Not that he wanted to, the sight was a miserable and despondent one. Bodies were strewn across the grass, blood dripping from various orifices. Piles of gold glitter dust everywhere, sprinkling every piece of nature within a mile radius.

Alec let an arrow fly, the tip burying between the shoulder blades of a fairy about to attack an injured solider. He pulled another one out and created another pile of dust. And another. And another. And another. He picked fairies off from his vantage point left, right and center. He tried to aid as many Shadowhunters as possible, especially the tired and the wounded. The fairy numbers were dwindling, especially now when the moon had disappeared and the sky was stained orange, a sign of sunrise.

When the final fairy melted into dust, Alec still had a whole quiver of arrows left. The silence was even more deafening that the racquet the battle had caused. Alec couldn't believe he hadn't heard it die down. He couldn't tell how many people were alive or how many were dead. All he knew was that he had survived and, for the sake of Max and Isabelle, this was a good thing.

His feet made no sound as he jumped off the wall, landing in the grass with a thump so gentle, even the butterflies couldn't hear it. Alec weaved around any mess piles of gold dust but still managed to get some stuck to the toes of his boots. Every dead body he passed, he mindlessly murmured a quick, two line prayer to the Angel. It was something Hodge always taught himself and Isabelle to do, to show respect towards all members of the Shadowhunter army. Alec wasn't all that big on the angel business anymore. If there were an Angel out there, who had created them all and still supposedly watch over them, why didn't they come to help them all now? Or twenty seven generations ago when this whole business started?

It's a bit difficult praying to an entity that doesn't seem to be listening. But Alec kept doing it anyway, because there was nothing else for it.

As he waded through the battle debris, Alec came face to face with Aline. Both tensed, prepared for a fight, but instantly relaxed as the realization of how they were standing in front of slowly became clear. Alec let his arm drop away from his quiver while Aline slowly lowered her seraph blade. "How many dead?" Alec asked her.

"Hard to say," sniffed Aline. She slid her blade back into its sheath but kept a hand firmly wrapped around the hilt, prepared for an ambush. "All I have gathered so far is that we have won, and that's all I need for now."

"You're right," agreed Alec. "The Clave will count the deaths. The names of the dead will be added the wall as usual."

"The wall," Aline voiced. Her voice was dry. "It's a wonder we haven't ran out of names on that thing yet. We've surely wasted miles of plague just carving names into that damn wall." The sky was on fire now, streaks of yellow and orange looking almost like a huge canvas of morning colours. "whose job is it anyway to carve the names on the wall? It may have only been a rumour but last I heard the previous bereavement officer was ambushed by the wolves."

"I'm not entirely sure." They were nearing the portal back to Alicante, where the remaining shadowhunters were gathered around. Even though they had won the battle against the fairies, the fight had affected their numbers greatly. Only fifteen to twenty remained out of the hundred that had been sent out.

"Doesn't your brother want to be a bereavement officer?" Aline asked.

"I'm not completely certain of that," Alec answered. "Isabelle wanted him to become an officer but after the recent wolf attack, she has changed her mind."

"She's changed her mind," Aline repeated. Her bottom lip stuck out a little, almost petulantly, as she ran those four words through her mind again. "Your sister's overprotective streak isn't going to do your brother any good in the long run. If she shelters him his entire life then when he's sent out on the field, he's going to get some shock."

Alec knew this all too well. When it came to Isabelle's domineering attitude towards Max, very little could be done regarding what will happen when reality hits them both. Alec would do anything to protect his siblings but there was little he could do when it came to shielding them from the war. They couldn't be saved from it and, as painful as it was, victory came first. Even if victory seemed miles away.

They stopped in front of the portal. Alec hated the use of portals. Only warlocks knew how to create them, so the Shadowhunters forced the warlock prisoners to conjure them up anytime they needed one. The whole concept of keeping people against their will was disgusting and, even though everyone was raised on the same line of thinking and moral, Alec couldn't help feeling like taking people prisoner was the most unnecessary practice the Shadowhunters undertook. It was dirty. It was malevolent. It was . . . It was . . . inhumane.

"Are you staying at Alicante tonight or are you going back to the New York Institute?" asked Aline.

They joined the crowd of wounded and surviving Shadowhunters who were crowded en masse around the portal. Alec shrugged. "I want to go back to Isabelle and Max, I haven't seen them in a while but . . ."

". . . but you don't want to use the captured warlocks to make you a portal," finished Aline. She didn't sound too bothered about it, contrary to standard reaction. "I get it. I suppose I should be driving my blade through your chest for such thoughts but as long as you're not holding hands with the vermin Downworlders and skipping around throwing daisies I don't really care about how you feel they should be treated."

"I get why we're fighting them," said Alec, "I just don't understand the necessity of holding them prisoner against their will. Can't we just kill them? Torture just seems so . . . drawn out. I thought we wanted this war over as soon as possible, that's all."

Aline shrugged. "Some of them hold answers and to get those answers we must use brute force and ignorance, that's all I have to say on the matter."

Ignorance. Perhaps that was something the Shadowhunters had too much of. Too much ignorance.

The streets of Alicante were empty when Alec and Aline stepped through the portal. In his eighteen years, never had Alec ever seen a single soul walk down the barren streets. It was an unspoken rule to stay inside, in case of an attack. No one wanted to die and, besides, most of the houses were empty, all the occupants sent off to an Institute on earth to train. There was a time when seventy three was the retirement age for a solider. No one ever reached seventy three anymore. You'd be lucky if you even reached fifty.

In the distance, Alec could make out the wall, the massive black plague that stretched for miles along the hills of Iris. Every time a hunter died fighting for the better future, their name was carved onto the wall. Alec didn't know how many time the wall had been added to, just to fit all the new names. If he squinted, he could make out the replacement bereavement officer making his way up the hill, probably having already been informed of the surprise attack at Warren Point by the fairies.

Alec's parents' names were on the wall. Lost in a sea of others. Every once and a while, he and Isabelle made the trek up the hill to visit the wall. Since the City of Bones became obsolete because of the thousands of deaths that occurred every day, the wall was the only form of burial anyone had anymore. Alec stilled remembered the day they were informed of their parents' deaths. It wasn't like Maryse and Robert had played a huge part in their development, Hodge was more of a father to them than either of those two, but the news had still been devastating. Any hopes of ever having met them were dashed.

Isabelle wore white for six months after that, even when she wasn't supposed to. Max had to be eased into the news gently but, as the youngest who was still too youthful to fully understand the devastation the war caused, he accepted this pretty easily. Alec still wasn't sure how he felt about it to this day. All he knew was that people expected him to be like his father, even though he didn't know what his father had done or how he acted or how he behaved. All anyone would ever tell him was that they were both honourable people who died heroically and respectfully for the cause.

So everyone expected to him to do just that. They expected Alec to die. Just like his parents.

Aline's knuckles loosened around the hilt of her sword, but only a little bit. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I'm going to check on my mother. She will be wondering how the battle went." Aline's mother was one of the very few elderly hunters that remained in Iris. At the age of seventy six, she had been long expected to retire, but the woman was resilient and didn't let the hunters bully her into retiring. She was still considered a solider.

Alec watched her walk away. He considered asking for a portal to be made as he desperately wanted to see Max and Isabelle, to reassure them that he was alive and well. He also wanted to check in on his parabatai, Jace, who was well aware that he was okay due to their bond but still needed to be checked up on anyway. Alec shook his head. No, he was many things, but he wasn't going to stoop to the level of the Clave regarding the treatment of the captured warlocks. He'd just stay in the Lightwood home for the night and figure something out tomorrow.

A hand clapped his shoulder and, because he was still in warzone mode, Alec spun around and pointed his loaded bow at the perpetrator. Standing before him, with a goofy grin, was Jace himself. "Whoa, solider, no need for that. You do realize the fight is over, right?"

"Jace!" Alec scowled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We came to see you," Jace replied. "We knew you wouldn't come home because of your silly prisoner beliefs so Hodge arranged for a portal to be made and viola, here we are."

"We?" asked Alec.

"Yes, we-can you please lower that thing? It's making me nervous." Alec slowly lowered his bow, his hunter instincts bristling from having been alerted so suddenly. Jace's ridiculous grin widened and he continued. "We. Me, Clary, Isabelle and Max."

"They let Clary come?" asked Alec.

The situation with Clary was a complicated one. Her mother tried to shelter her from the war by running away and pretending they were human. Only recently did Clary discover the truth and she only started her training a little while back. Alec hadn't thought that the Clave would allow her through because of the circumstances but he'd obviously been proved wrong.

"A Shadowhunters a Shadowhunter," shrugged Jace. "They couldn't keep her away. Besides, she wanted to see how the Visionary rune worked."

"It was actually extremely helpful," Alec reluctantly admitted. He wasn't all that keen on Clary and how she had just been dropped into their laps like a baby on a doorstep but Jace was so taken with her, Alec didn't have the heart to ruin it for him. "Where's my brother and sister?"

"They're all at the house," answered Jace. They started walking in the direction of the Lightwood home, leaving the others behind to get looked over and treated for injuries. "Don't you have to stay and have your health assessed?"

"I'm fine," answered Alec. "I didn't get hurt."

"Yeah, that's totally obvious from how you're covered in fair-folk dust," Jace replied with a frown.

"I'm fine, seriously. I think I'd know if I was hurt."

Jace shrugged. "Fine, you're fine. Who am I to complain? I'd probably feel it if it were extremely severe anyway."

"Exactly." The whole parabatai bond could be both a blessing and a curse. Alec didn't know which way to think of it but preferred to view it as a blessing. Since Jace was probably one of the best people you could ever have a parabatai bond with, even if he was a tad reckless.

On the way to the Lightwood home, Jace suddenly stopped dead in the street. Alec paused as well. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Is that a cat?" asked Jace, squinting into an alleyway.

Alec looked at the alleyway in question. The rising sun case shadows everywhere, dousing every possible nook and cranny in darkness. He couldn't see into the small, walled in pathway. Although, in the dense blackness, he could vaguely make out a pair of slitted eyes, the pupil surrounded in what had to be the deepest grass green Alec had ever seen. Who had cats now-a-days anyway? They were usually used as cannon fodder.

"Must be," he replied.

"Cats," Jace said slowly, turning back to face the direction they were walking. His eyebrows drew together.

"Where do people get cats from now-a-days?" Alec asked as they started walking again.

"The cat store," said Jace.

Alec rolled his eyes and lightly punched the blond's arm. They continued to their journey to the Lightwood house, completely forgetting about the unusual sight they just witnessed. They didn't see the eyes move with the form of a human body standing up.

Nor did they see it walk away, leaving a sprinkling of glitter in its wake.


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec returns to the Lightwood home with Jace but despite his joy at getting to see his family, the battle at Warren Point hasn't yet left his mind . . .

Chapter Two  
“Alec!” 

Isabelle leaped on her brother like a cougar as soon as he set foot through the door. Alec liked to tell himself that she didn’t spend a lot of her time sitting the room closest to the door, waiting for him to come home. She had this habit of worrying too much. Like all the worst case scenarios came into her head before any of the good, and she’d dwell on these scenarios until her ears would bleed. Alec just wished she knew that he was capable of looking after himself.

“I told you he’d be fine,” Jace pointed out. Isabelle unwound an arm from Alec’s neck and used it to punch Jace’s arm. “Hey! I’m just pointing out a fact!”

“Shut up,” Isabelle mumbled. She squeezed Alec extra hard before stepping back. “I’m glad you’re okay. Was it bad?”

Alec shrugged with a haunted smile. “Same as always.”

Isabelle nodded. She knew that she would never understand the horrors of the war until she was sent out into it herself. “Clary is reading Max a story before bed. You should go to him before he sleeps. You know how he has nightmares every time you’re sent out,” she said. 

Alec hated that Max worried so much about him. Isabelle could handle her worry, whereas Max was only nine years old. The fact that he suffered nightmares because he was scared of his big brother dying made Alec reluctant to leave every time he got called to the field. He didn’t want the weight of it to weigh down his little brother’s mind. 

Max demanded to have the room on the top floor as soon as they had discovered they had been left this house in their parent’s will. Nobody fought with him about it because there was no need for it. Isabelle and Alec weren’t going to tell their baby brother than he couldn’t have the room he wanted just after their parents had died. Besides, any room would suit them. And they would do anything to make Max happy.

“How did you win, in the end?” Isabelle asked. The staircases creaked under their feet, years and years of bearing weight causing the wood to groan like the moans of ghosts. Alec wondered how many Lightwoods had roamed this house. How many of them lost their lives in this endless war? 

“The ending of the three day full moon,” Alec answered. “If it had been any longer than that, they probably would have won.”

“Stupid fairies,” Jace muttered. “Stupid sequined free-for-all pansies.”

“We mustn’t be bitter about it,” Isabelle chided. “We won. That’s the main thing.”

Alec was thankful that his sister wasn’t resentful. If she was then she would probably turn into Jace. Not that that would be a completely bad thing-his parabatai was a good person-but Jace’s anger towards the Downworlders caused him to train harder, in the hopes of being sent out onto the field ahead of time. Which could happen if a Shadowhunter showed dedication and skill. Especially now, when times were tough and numbers were dwindling.

“Do you think they’ll give you some time to rest?” Isabelle asked hopefully. “Before they send you out again?”

Alec didn’t think so. He knew that the next time the Downworlders attacked, he would be called out again. No man was spared from the draft. There was a time when he would have lied, given Isabelle some hope to hold onto. But he had learned his lesson and knew that he couldn’t give his sister false hope. She didn’t like it and wouldn’t stand for it. Isabelle was brave and she could take the truth, as harsh as it was.

“No. They probably won’t,” he said.

Isabelle nodded. She released her hair from its ponytail so it curtained her face. They continued in silence. Not even Jace had a smartass remark for he knew it was only a matter of time before Alec met his maker. The Shadowhunters were dying younger and younger these days. And Alec was no exception.

Max’s room was like an anime character threw up on it. Posters he brought from the human world hung on his walls, depicting various characters from his picture books or ‘mangas’ as he called them. His bed covers were standard, scruffy blue sheets that itched like crazy. It seemed that Robert and Maryse didn’t care for soft covers while they were alive. Alec guessed it was because the itching kept you alert, even while you slept. Even when they were supposed to be resting, the pair were prepared for battle.

Clary sat in the middle of Max’s bed, holding one of the mangas in her hands while Max himself loomed over her shoulder pointing at the pictures. Isabelle slipped in first, putting on that fake smile she always wore when she didn’t want to make Max aware of how dire things were becoming. “Hey Max, look who’s home,” she said.

Max’s eyes darted to the doorway. “Alec!” he beamed.

“Hey Max,” Alec smiled, thankful for every moment he had with his brother. Max clamoured around Clary and leaped off the bed, running to Alec and slamming into him with impressive strength. His arms wound around Alec’s waist, hugging him as tight as his bony arms would allow. “Careful, watch the weapons.”

“I’m so happy you’re back,” Max said.

“It’s good to be back,” Alec replied. He ruffled Max’s hair affectionately, laughing when the younger boy swiped his hand away grumpily, muttering that his hair was going to get ruined if he messed it up.

Alec may not have been as worrisome as Isabelle, but he too feared the day his brother would be sent out to fight. It would not be long before the Clave changed the appropriate draft age and once they did this, they would keep doing it until children as old as twelve were being sent out to fight. Children who had not even reached puberty, who didn’t know the hardship of death and how it weighed so heavily on the mind but would discover it too young. Alec could not allow this future for his brother. However, if the Clave decided right then to change the draft age to five years old, there would be nothing that Alec could do to fight them. Unless he wanted to risk death for cowardice or betrayal.

Max could not fight. He wouldn’t survive a day. Even now, at the age of nine, he struggled to keep up with his training. Max showed promise in his studies, on the intellectual side of things. This was why Isabelle preferred him to be a bereavement officer. The bereavement officers did not fight. Their job was to accept the list of the dead and walk to the wall and mark out the names with a hammer and chisel. They were chosen based on their intellect and knowledge, not their skill or ability to fight. It seemed that Max would have been better suited as a bereavement officer but, as a Lightwood, other things were expected of him. Because of the reputation of their parents, Max would never be allowed to be an officer. 

None of them would be shown any form of mercy. Max would be sent out to fight. Just like Isabelle would someday and like Alec was now. It was how things were meant to be. It was not fair, but it was the way things were meant to be. Alec could only be thankful that Jace had been spared of such weighty expectations, as being an adopted Lightwood did not count as being a born Lightwood. Especially since it was not their parents who took Jace in. It had been Hodge. Jace had simply been given the Lightwood name because nobody knew what his true name was. Many argued that this was disgraceful to the Lightwood name but, once Jace and Alec bonded themselves in the parabatai bond most stopped complaining. It was like a way of passage, evidence that the Lightwoods approved of him.

Clary stood up and folded her arms. She was dressed for bed, in a thin nightdress that didn’t leave much to the imagination. It wasn’t for sexuality, it was for the fact that every material was being savoured in these hard times and most anyone could wear were thin night clothes. “Hey Alec,” she said, rubbing her arms to heat them up.

“Hi Clary,” Alec answered. Max detached himself from Alec and climbed back onto his bed, opening his book again and continuing from where he left off.

“Visionary runes work okay?” Clary asked.

“Yes. Thank you. They were very helpful,” Alec said. 

Conversations exchanged between Alec and Clary were strained and uncomfortable. Alec had an idea that Clary knew that he wasn’t exactly fond of her sudden appearance into their lives, but the fact that she was civilised about it showed a lot about her character. Alec knew she wasn’t a bad person, he just couldn’t bring himself to not feel annoyed about her always being there. With them. With Jace. Alec shook his head. Thinking these thoughts would only get him in trouble.

Ever since the Shadowhunter numbers had begun to dwindle, one of the primary goals was to reproduce. So more children could be trained to be soldiers. Even Jace and Clary, only sixteen years old, were expected to have children. As soon as a Shadowhunter found a compatible partner, they were expected to procreate. They had been trying nearly every night. But it seemed they were struggling. As Clary was not yet pregnant.

Impure thoughts like the ones Alec found himself having were unwelcome. He could not allow himself to think that way. Ever since the war had begun, the Clave passed the law abolishing such things. It complicated their goals. Made them . . . difficult. Alec felt-hoped-that serving his people as a soldier would be enough service. He could not . . . do that with a woman. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to feel this way but he did. And he couldn’t help it.

“Alec, you should get some rest,” Isabelle said. She sat beside Max, arm around his neck with book in hand. 

“Who knows when there will be another attack,” Jace added. He clapped Alec’s shoulder with a sigh. “Someday I will join you on the field and you won’t go it alone.”

Yeah, Alec thought, that’s what I’m afraid of.

Alec went to Max and ruffled his hair again, smiling when his brother ducked his head with a laugh. He leaned down and hugged Isabelle, who gladly accepted the extension of intimacy with her free arm. Max rolled his eyes and mumbled something about how hugs were girly. Because of this, Isabelle grinned and attacked him in a hug. Max burst out laughing and beat her lightly with his fists. 

Alec turned to Clary and lingered hesitantly. What was he to do? He always struggled with bidding farewell to Clary. She always knew this, however, and saved him the trouble by taking the matter into her own hands. “Goodnight Alec,” she smiled, touching his arm with a gentle smile.

“Night Clary,” he replied. He felt like if he smiled, it would be obvious that it was forced.

Jace was easiest. He grinned in his usual jokey way and slapped his back. “Night my friend. Try not to have nightmares, okay? The screaming keeps me awake.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Whatever Jace.”

In his room, Alec endured the silence. Sometimes, if he listened hard enough, he could still hear the screams of the Downworlders he had murdered. He loomed over his sink and scrubbed everything until his fingers bled. His hands, his shoes, his clothes. No matter how hard he scoured, he kept seeing it. The blood. So much blood. Fairy blood sparkled like glitter. Werewolf blood was dark as night. Vampire blood was transparent as glass. Mer-folk had blood that matched the colour of the waves at the peak of dawn. As for warlocks . . . Alec had not killed a warlock in his little time as a soldier.

Alec had seen too much blood. If he had the choice, he would not see any more blood. Too much had been shed already.

“Damnit,” Alec muttered under his breath. The fairy blood clung to his skin like a disease. The water ran over his hands, over the gashes that the scrubber brush tore deep into his knuckles. He didn’t feel pain; all he cared about was getting the blood off of him. Out of sight. He could not sleep until it was banished from his mind.

Alec threw the brush down and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn’t bother giving himself a healing rune. Sometimes he wondered if he deserved the pain. To kill out of cold blood? Or was it cold blood, because they did not attack first? But then sometimes they did. Shadowhunters sometimes made the first move. And could anyone really be blamed when they are only acting out of the will of their ancestors?

How did this war even begin?

Alec banished this from his mind. Such thoughts gave him a headache. In the same way his thoughts about Jace gave him a migraine. He wished there were ways to treat such things but there was only a small extent to which a healing rune can heal. Pain brought on by confusing thoughts did not count.

When he looked out his bedroom window, all he saw was a bleak world. Shrouded in complete darkness, Idris could not light the streets at night. Doing such a thing would be like painting a red ‘X’ on their foreheads. The visionary rune Clary had bestowed upon him didn’t change the darkness, it didn’t make it any brighter, but it was as if he could see through it anyway. Like a cat in the night.

This was how he saw it.

In the distance, passing through the streets, a man walked the cobblestone road like the curfew wasn’t in place. Sparkles gleamed around him like diamonds hung suspended around him. Either the glimmer of fairy blood had gotten to Alec’s brain, or magic of some sort was being used. And if magic of some sort was being used then it was Alec’s duty to remove the threat that magic poses by getting rid of it.

Only a warlock could have such a humanoid form but still carry jewels in their wake. If he was right, that this intruder was a warlock, then if they got caught the Shadowhunters would capture and torture them. Use them to open portals when they needed it. It would be better dead.

Death was kinder than torture.

Alec pulled his boots back on. He could swear he could still see the shimmering glue of fairy blood covering the toes and heels. He sheathed the seraph blade he kept under his bed, knowing that if he went downstairs to retrieve his bow and arrows then he would alert Isabelle, or even Jace and Clary, of his leaving.

Mounting his window sill, Alec slipped out and jumped onto the roof of the next house. He could still see the mysterious diamond figure. He kept to the shadows, silently following the figure for a few miles along the rooftops of the houses of Idris. Years of training had caused Alec to adapt to his surroundings. He could jump from a fifteen floor building and land without making a sound. He didn’t worry of his presence on the rooftops altering the occupants of his presence. He was so silent, he might as well have been walking on air. 

As he drew nearer to the warlock, Alec came to the conclusion that it was a male. The build of the creature was the main contributor to this conclusion and Alec wished he had never noticed. The more he knew was a step closer to the creature. He could not allow himself to grow close, even if it was a distanced intimacy.  
When the warlock slipped down an alleyway between two houses, Alec swung over the side of the house that if he remembered correctly housed the Trushdale’s. He grabbed the draining pipe that ran along the side of the wall and climbed down. The holster that housed his seraph blade bumped his hip constantly, reminding him of what he had set out to do.

Alec had Idris memorized in his mind, burned into his memory so he would never get lost. The warlock was heading for a dead end. He could easily locate and exterminate him. He could not activate his blade until he was close enough to kill. It would easily give away his position.

As he moved along the wall, drawing closer to the dead end, Alec grew to realize that there was no one there. He stopped at the end, which was shrouded in darkness. Damn, he must have produced a portal. Did the warlock realize he was being followed? Impossible. Alec knew he didn’t make a sound. He had been trained to do so. It had been drilled into him so hard Alec used to walk the halls of the Institute like he was hunting a Downworlder. It got to the point where Isabelle used to believe he’d left, he was that quiet. She never heard him. No one did. It was his job to melt into the shadows. And melt into the shadows was just what he did. So it was impossible that the warlock had heard him.

There was an explosion of diamond of glitter and a figure appeared on top of the dead end’s high wall. Completely out of thin air. A long cloak billowed around them as if they had jumped from a great height. Alec stepped back and unsheathed his sword, throwing caution to the wind and saying, “Lailah,” to activate his blade.

The figure smirked, like such a thing amused him. He held out a hand and glitter swirled around the appendage, so fast it spun like a circle encompassing it. Alec lifted his sword and tightened his fingers around the hilt. 

A standoff.

Great(!)


	4. A Standoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec has a standoff with the mysterious warlock he followed. However, the Downworlder doesn't match what he had been raised to believe about the mystical. Magnus Bane was something completely new.

Chapter Three

The visionary rune allowed Alec to make out the features of the figure. He was Asian, with dark spiky hair. The diamonds were speckles of glitter, sparkling on his skin and his hair. It was almost unnatural how bright it shimmered. Only a spell could cause such aesthetic brightness. The eyes resembled that of a cat. Definitely a warlock. Alec wished he had been wrong. He did not want to spill warlock blood. But he also had to protect Idris.

"Well," the warlock practically purred. A cat voice for the man with the cat eyes. "Aren't you a pretty one?"

Alec tried not to frown. He did not wish to show confusion. The warlock was clearly trying to throw him off. He didn't speak back. Warlocks were tricksters, they tried to lure you in with their leers and their jokes. Alec would not fall for it. He prepared to end this before it began and raised his blade, ready to drive it into the Downworlder's heart.

The warlock raised his glittery eyebrows and flicked the hand he had weaponized with magic outwards. Suddenly Alec couldn't move. Try as he might, his limbs would not listen to the commands he gave them. The damn warlock had cast a spell on him! How could he have been so naïve to forget that warlocks did not fight with honour? They used their magic as weapons, despite the impossible advantage it gave them over their adversaries.

"You think I did not see you coming?" The warlock asked. "You may walk the night like a ghost but your eyes shine like a beacon in the dark. Azure blue-especially a shade as striking as that of your eyes-does not work well when told to blend."

Alec cursed himself. How could he remedy that? Hodge never told him what to do if his eyes stood out. He couldn't walk with them shut, especially not when in battle, and he couldn't change their colour either. What could he do? "Well go on then," Alec snapped. "Kill me if you're going to." He'd rather die with honour than as a coward and he would never shrivel at the hands of a warlock. He briefly worried about Isabelle and Max but put it behind him, knowing that his death would be honourable, as he would lose his life the same way he earned it. Protecting Idris.

"Let me see," the warlock said thoughtfully, "blue eyes, black hair, a pale complexion that puts snow to shame . . . you're a Lightwood aren't you?"

Alec did not even give the warlock the pleasure of a response. He stared the Downworlder down, wondering why he was wasting time even now when he was clearly incapable of fighting back. Why didn't he just kill him?

"I haven't seen a Lightwood in years," the warlock continued regardless. "You are exceptionally good at staying under the radar, are you aware of that? Nevertheless it is positively extraordinary that you were the first to spot me, since I have been here for quite some time." The warlock tutted. "Need to up your game a little, darling."

Alec narrowed his eyes. "How long have you been here?"

"Six months? Around about that."

"Who are you?" Alec demanded.

"Oh yes, that's right, I haven't introduced myself. How rude of me. Bane. Magnus Bane. Before the war broke out I was the High Warlock of Brooklyn," the warlock explained. Great. So not only was he a warlock, he was a former high warlock. That meant that Magnus was capable of practically anything. "And just for the record, I don't intend to kill you. Why should I? It's a personal rule of mine not to harm pretty things."

Seeing through Magnus' tricks, Alec asked, "If you don't intend to kill me, what do you intend to do?" Torture immediately came into his mind. Revenge for what the Shadowhunters had done to other warlocks like Magnus. Alec never imagined being taken prisoner but he believed if he ever was, then he would be as strong as he could possibly be and never give in to his captors.

"Well, you would think of torture, wouldn't you?" Magnus sighed. Alec was alarmed, unaware that he had been able to read his thoughts. "All of you Shadowhunters are the same. Why would I stoop to your kind's level? My brothers and sisters would not thank me for seeking revenge in such a barbaric fashion."

"Why are you here?" Alec demanded through gritted teeth. "Why have you intruded on our grounds for six months without attack? What do you want?"

Magnus swung down to sit on the wall, his cloak swathed around his shoulders like a blanket. His legs hung over the edge, the wall so high that his feet were still nowhere near the ground. "I have simply been seeking information. That is all." So he was a spy then! "Before you ask, I don't work for any particular army, or rebel group, I am simply satisfying my own curiosity. Pretty innocent if you ask me."

Innocent? Alec scoffed. No Downworlder was completely innocent. Everyone had blood on their hands.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before I was spotted." Magnus smirked, revealing two dimples in both his cheeks. "However, I did not anticipate that I would be spotted by a Lightwood. Definitely not an incredibly attractive Lightwood. I mean, I knew you guys had a blessed gene pool but damn, you-my darling-go beyond blessed and into downright wicked."

Alec could not understand why the warlock was behaving like an incubus. Was the supposed high warlock intoxicated? Or simply under the influence of his own spells? Surely he was not speaking through a sober mouth. If he was then it greatly confused Alec in why he would say such lecherous things. "Do want you intend to do and be done with it," Alec hissed. Every second he was under Magnus' spell he tried to fight it. His muscles groaned and bulged with the effort of trying to move again. Even his fingers would not budge. It was too powerful a spell but Alec would not give up. He would never give in to such a tragic fate without fighting it while he still had strength and breath to fight with.

"The thing is, honey, I don't know what I intend to do. I'm still trying to figure it out." Magnus picked at his fingernails, which were painted a dark colour Alec could not see. "I don't want to kill you. Torture is completely out of the question. Although . . ." Magnus tilted his head with a devilish smirk and lifted his index finger. He flicked it upwards and slowly drew it back down through the air.

The zip of Alec's jacket followed the path of Magnus' finger, until it reached the bottom and unclipped. All he had on underneath was his thin sleep shirt, since he had left in such a hurry so he wouldn't lose track of Magnus. Alec flushed, annoyed with himself for having such a reaction to such an inappropriate advance.

"You know what they say about Shadowhunters. Train for life, abs like a knife," Magnus commented with pursed lips.

"You're disgusting," Alec snapped.

Magnus grinned. "Don't pretend you don't love it. Everyone does."

"You're trying my patience," said Alec. "Why waste time talking? You're only lessening the time before someone else sees you and who isn't as easy to ensnare with magic."

"Well, I doubt there's anyone who's hard to ensnare with magic," Magnus said. He flicked his fingers out again, causing more blue sparks to erupt from his fingertips. They sparked and fizzled in the air like spontaneous bursts of electricity. "Magic isn't designed to trap. It's designed to amaze. That's why I can't kill you. It's why I won't kill any of you. I'll leave that to the more . . ." Magnus tapped his chin thoughtfully. ". . . more vengeful of my kind."

"You don't want to aid your side of the cause?" asked Alec. He'd never heard of such a thing before. He'd been raised to believe that aiding your own cause was the most important thing . . . well, ever.

"Oh, I do, darling," Magnus purred. "That's why I am a secret agent." He grinned and lifted a slender finger to his lips. "Sssh, don't tell anyone."

Alec was unwillingly amazed by the how nonchalant the warlock was. There wasn't a single sign of panic or fear. He was completely laid back about the entire situation. Alec supposed it was because he clearly couldn't do anything but shouldn't there still have been even a little bit of fear regarding the fact that another Shadowhunter could easily look out a window and see what was happening? Then again, Magnus was a warlock. If spotted, he could easily snap himself out of existence.

"I can read your soul, Lightwood," Magnus drawled, tilting his head to the side. "You are different from the other Shadowhunters. When you hide for six months, it gives you a lot of time to silently observe. What I remember of your kind-from all those years ago, before the war broke out-you only murdered when there was an injustice committed by a Downworlder. Not for the sake of cock measuring. That's how this whole thing started. Trust me, I was there."

"Impossible," Alec answered.

Magnus cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked sarcastically. "Well that's pretty damn weird because I can swear I can remember the day the war was declared. I was in Argentina, in bed with a pretty Spanish boy who could make a mean Pina Colata"-

"Don't waste my time with your lies!" Alec snapped. He didn't know warlocks could be so tiresome. He knew that the Downworlder was lying to him, maybe trying to waste time or something. "You can't have been alive when the war broke out, that was a millennia ago!"

"Nearly a millennia," Magnus corrected. "Don't they teach you boys anything in school? Or is intellect no longer a priority? Do they rather you ditzy and strong than smart and weak? Why am I even asking, of course that's what they rather." Magnus smirked. "I would complain because the eye candy has been nice but the fact that there's no brain in there is kind of a turn off."

Alec was offended by this. "I've had an education, warlock," he spat. "I'm not one of those brain dead wannabes who think that training is more important than learning."

Magnus picked at his fingernails, the smirk still not having left his face. "You are, however, a Lightwood who will probably never see beyond the battlefield. Very sad, if you ask me, but there isn't really much we can do. There isn't a lot of you guys left, is there? Which one are you anyway? I've lost track . . . Little behind on the times. If you're as old as I am you begin to forget things and lose track of time lines and descendants. You're not Robert . . . He and Maryse's legacy was too great to ignore, especially when they died."

Alec resisted the urge to flinch at the mention of his parents. He didn't think he looked like them, all he had was their main features (eyes and hair). Isabelle was a spitting image of them, not him. This would be a good thing if he had a way of hiding his true identity. The fact that he didn't meant that there wasn't really a point that he didn't look like Robert or Maryse. Everyone knew he was a Lightwood, meaning they expected him to act like a Lightwood.

"You must be their oldest son," Magnus decided. "What's his name? Alfie? Alfred?"

"Alec," Alec said.

"No, that's not it." Magnus held his hand up to tell him to be quiet. He looked at the sky, eyebrows furrowed, as he tried to conjure a different name up. "Andrew? Adam? It's an 'A'. I know it's an 'A' . . ."

"It's Alec," he insisted. He didn't know why he was even discussing this. He should be dead. If he had been captured by any other warlock or Downworlder, he would be dead. "My name is Alec."

"Nah, it's longer than that."

Alec rolled his eyes. "It's Alexander," he muttered.

Magnus clicked his fingers. "Yes! That's it! Alexander Lightwood!"

"Happy now?"

"Delightfully so," said Magnus. He jumped off the wall and moved a strand of Alec's hair out of the way of his eyes. If he had the power to move, Alec would have jerked his head away from the warlock's touch. "Always liked that name," he said, almost to himself. "Alexander Lightwood." Alec couldn't help thinking how Magnus said his name like one would sing a song.

"Now that we're acquainted, can you please stop wasting my time?" Alec asked.

"I don't feel like I'm wasting your time," said Magnus. He cocked his head and zipped Alec's jacket back up. "I'd never waste your time, darling. Everything I do is within perfect reason. Everything you have told me tonight will aid me further in my cause."

Wait, what did that mean? "Stop talking in riddles, warlock!" Alec exclaimed. "Can't you just say something straight up without playing games?"

Magnus rolled his eyes and prised Alec's seraph blade out from between his fingers. He rubbed Alec's fingers to relax them out of the frozen grip they had been stuck in. "Oh, sweetheart, but then that would take away all the fun."

"This war isn't fun," Alec spat.

Magnus put on a faux serious face. "Oh course not," he said. He dropped a glittery wink in Alec's direction before sighing. "I fear we must part for now, dearest. Five minutes after I leave, your paralysis will break. You can run back to your institute and spread your rumours about the incredibly sexy warlock who seduced you into submitting to him." He leaned forward and kissed Alec's forehead. Then, in a blink, he was gone.

Alec's heart was racing. He didn't know what to think. He stood, stuck in his paralysis, for five minutes and, just as Magnus promised, the spell broke and he fell into the dirt. He felt like he hadn't used his muscles in weeks. He sat in the dark shadows of the alcove and touched his forehead with shaky fingertips.

Only for them to come back coated in glitter.


	5. Conflicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec does his best to forget about what happened the previous night, however fate seems to have other ideas . . .

Chapter Four

Alec scrubbed his hand for the remainder of the night. Locked in his room, he kept his hand under the water for longer than normally necessary and scrubbed harder than he'd ever scrubbed before. The warlock must have magical glitter that clung to the skin like a disease because the damn sparkles wouldn't go away. Alec cursed and eventually gave up, charging out of the bathroom and throwing himself onto his rickety bed.

He couldn't get the encounter with the Warlock out of his head. The Downworlder seemed so . . . happy. Were people happy for no particular reason nowadays? Was that even possible? And he said that he didn't work for anyone but then he also claimed he was a secret agent. Which was true? The warlock was clearly trying to confuse Alec and he had done a damn good job of it.

There was another thought that Alec had. An unwelcome thought. The sort of thought he had been trying to banish from his mind because they were dirty and distracted him from his purpose. He tried to push it out, smother it, stop it from returning like the ugly parasite it was, but it kept returning. Harder and faster each time.

Magnus Bane was really attractive.

Alec cursed himself and jumped off his bed again. He couldn't keep still. He walked around his bed and grabbed a leather glove from the small chest of drawers beside it, stuffing his glitter poisoned hand into it and hiding any sign of his contact with Magnus. Sleep had been long forgotten. He could survive another day without it. He didn't usually sleep after battles, anyways. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was the blood.

It wouldn't be long before he would be expected to take Duty Leave. Duty Leave was where a Shadowhunter took leave from the army to impregnate someone with a baby, therefore increasing their numbers on schedule. Alec didn't have a significant other yet but once a Shadowhunter was eighteen and became part of the army, every year they'd be expected to take a month out to impregnate. Didn't matter who it was, as long as it was a woman from Idris who would send the child to train for the war, to fight for their side.

Alec despised the idea of having loads of children just for the sake of the war. He didn't even see himself being a particularly good father to one child. He had been pushing off the Duty Leave for as much as possible. He was going to be nineteen in four months. His Duty Leave was scheduled in three months' time, just short of a year on the job. Any longer than that and he'd have been given a verbal warning by the Clave. A warning he really couldn't be bothered enduring.

Deep down, Alec knew what he was. He couldn't acknowledge it out loud or it would make it more real than he was prepared for but he did know. He would never be able to be with a woman in that way and he dreaded to think what he was going to do when it came to his Duty Leave. Jace offered to take him to a bordello or a brothel but Alec had kindly turned that offer down. Thankfully, Jace didn't know what Alec was. Or if he did, he didn't show it.

It wouldn't be that big an issue if the Shadowhunters' numbers weren't dwindling. Alec could hide his secret until the day he died. In his parents' time, there had been no such thing as Duty Leave because there had been plenty to take on the Downworlders. Now they were so few, everyone was expected to do their duty and use what the angels gave them to increase their numbers. Alec couldn't see the war lasting to the point where any offspring he provided could help. He felt like the war was drawing to a close and he didn't like his odds of surviving it.

Alec stood at his window for the rest of the night, staring out at the desolate streets of Idris. Even as the sun rose, a beautiful spectacle in itself, the city looked downtrodden and miserable. Small beauties like this were what reminded Alec that all was not lost. Whenever he felt stressed or worried or scared, he stood at his window to watch the sun rise or set-depending on the time of day-and watched sky change colours like the angels decided to spin a colour wheel to change the sky's chromism at will. It was beautiful and natural. Not dirtied by the war or the spilled blood. Every day, Alec could rely on the sun rising and setting again. And sometimes it was enough to keep him going.

Alec didn't feel like he could face the others today. Not after the night he'd had. He felt like it would be written all over his face that he'd encountered a warlock and had been unable to deal with him. So he did what he always did when he couldn't face his family: he left.

He climbed out of his bedroom window and jumped out. He landed in the alley between his house and the next and started walking. He didn't know where he was going exactly but he'd figure it out when he got there. If he got called into battle, he'd hear the horn blow three times. It was a more efficient system that didn't require contacting everyone separately. One horn meant there had been a death; two horns meant lights out and three meant call to battle. Alec hoped he'd get the day to himself, as three days of battle had definitely taken its toll. Not only had it taken sleep from him but it also weakened him to the point that he'd allowed himself to get ensnared by a warlock, of all damn things.

Alec ran a gloved hand through his hair and ground his teeth together. A part of him was jealous of how free Magnus had seemed. In all ways. His freedom of speech, behaviour, even dress sense made Alec seethe with envy. Which was ridiculous, since he was supposed to hate Downworlders, not envy them. He'd never met a Downworlder so . . . blissfully content with their life. He'd never met anyone so blissfully content with their life.

A part of him wanted it. Wanted to feel an emotion such as content. Intense happiness. Freedom to know that everything was going to be okay. But he didn't. He couldn't. And he knew he probably never would.

"Are you always awake at ungodly hours?"

Alec jumped in surprise and had an arrow notched before Magnus could take another breath. The menacing warlock stood upon the roof of a building to Alec's left, that same cheeky smirk on his face. His hands remained by his sides, clearly uninterested in casting another spell on Alec.

"I mean, did you even sleep? If it weren't for my 'investigation' of this frankly depressing place I wouldn't even be thinking about thinking about getting out of bed." Magnus sniffed. "I feel like the air in this place is covering me in grime."

"I could shoot you," Alec said incredulously, shocked by how uncaring Magnus seemed about the arrow pointed at his chest.

Magnus' feline eyes sparkled. "But you won't," he said.

"What makes you say that?"

"You would have done it by now."

Now that the lighting was better, Alec could see Magnus properly. The cloak he had previously thought the Downworlder had been wearing was actually a tan trench coat that had a collar that looked like it was pulled up against cold that wasn't there and purple outlines on the sleeves and edges. The sleeves were short-which in Alec's mind didn't seem at all practical-but it was made up for by the fact that Magnus seemed to be wearing a long sleeved shirt. Why didn't he just wear a proper jacket with sleeves?

"It's called fashion, darling," Magnus answered for him, making Alec's heart skip at the way he could read his thoughts.

"Is it?" Alec frowned, unconvinced.

"Don't take this the wrong way love but you aren't exactly the peak of fashion yourself," said Magnus. "Black was so last century. Even then it wasn't that popular."

Alec looked down at his clothes, despite himself. He didn't normally care about his appearance but Magnus' comment struck him. Alec shook his head, reminding himself that he didn't care, and refocused his eyes back on Magnus. "Are you always this . . . ?"

"Witty, sexy, unbearably fabulous?" Magnus grinned.

"I was going to say insufferable."

Magnus' grin widened and he jumped off the building to stand beside Alec. Alec stepped back, arrow still pointed at Magnus' heart. He didn't want any more of the warlock's glitter touching him. Hiding his hand was easy enough but if he got covered in it then there was no hiding his weakness. Because that's what this whole situation was. A sign of Alec's weakness. Why couldn't he kill Magnus? What was stopping him?

"Why is this place so deserted?" Magnus sniffed. He started to walk up the pavement, as if just expecting Alec to follow. Was he crazy? Did he really think Alec was going to walk with him?

So as Alec caught up with him, bow still clutched in his hands, he said, "There's a curfew. You aren't allowed out until ten in the morning."

Magnus stopped to look at Alec and quirked a sparkly eyebrow. "Why are you out then?" His golden feline eyes darkened by a margin. "I've always had a soft spot for a bad boy."

Alec narrowed his eyes. "That's none of your business." He fumbled with his bow and stuck the arrow back into the quiver on his back in order to keep up with Magnus' quick pace.

"You look exhausted," said Magnus commented, starting to walk again. "Purple bags really do ruin your complexion, darling. I do have a remedy to fix that where all you need is a cucumber and some magic." He flicked his hand outwards and blue sparks erupted from his fingertips. Alec jumped backwards, his feet falling off the edge of the curb so he stumbled onto the road. Magnus raised his eyebrows, completely unsurprised. "Do you still think I'm going to hurt you?" he asked.

"How should I know?" Alec fired back, already blindly reaching for his arrow again. Normally he'd be able to acquire it immediately but for some reason he was being awkward and fumbly. "All I have is your word that you won't. And I don't know how trustworthy your word is just yet."

"I don't hurt pretty things," Magnus said, slipping his hands into his pockets and sighing. "It's a personal policy, really."

"But why?" Alec scowled. "It's a war out there. Not a silly spat. You can't make decisions like that!"

"Can't I?" Magnus pinned Alec down with a look so brazen and daring it made the shadowhunter feel frozen. "Nobody ever tells me what I can or can't do. I don't see why a petulant shadowhunter should be any different." He spun around and started walking in the opposite direction, his coat swishing behind him like a hero's cape.

"Petulant?!" Alec exclaimed. He charged after Magnus, suddenly invigorated. "How dare you-I'm not petulant!"

Magnus was grinning, knowing full well the reaction Alec was going to have to being called such a thing before it even happened. He stopped abruptly and spun around again. Alec just had enough time to stop, their bodies only a couple of inches away from colliding. "Would you like to know what my person policy is?" Magnus asked.

Alec didn't back down and stared Magnus down. He knew the warlock was going to try to make him uncomfortable. That must be what Magnus specialised in. Making people uncomfortable. "You don't hurt pretty things," he said. "You already said." For some odd reason, his heart was thrumming in his chest. Not with adrenalin. With something else. Why was it doing that?

"My personal policy is to do everything to dispose what convention says I should or shouldn't do," Magnus corrected. It seemed he wasn't backing down either. They were so close Alec could feel the warlock's breath against his face. If it weren't for the curfew, they'd have been spotted by now. Someone would have driven a blade into Magnus' chest in the way that Alec failed to do with his arrows.

"Convention is there for a reason," Alec replied.

"Is it?" Magnus cocked his head. "A bunch of rubbish fabricated by the exact same people who started this ridiculous war. Why should I want to satisfy the people who are responsible for the death of thousands of innocents?"

Alec couldn't answer. He didn't know what to stay. He stared at Magnus with a fixed scowl, trying to convince the Downworlder that he was thinking of a response even though a part of him knew that Magnus wasn't an idiot and knew full well that he was speechless.

It didn't matter anyway. Alec's ears picked something up about a mile away. A twig snapping. He spun around in horror. Oh god, who could that be? He could see Magnus' blue sparks out of the corner of his eye and loaded his bow for a reason he couldn't explain. He wasn't pointing it at Magnus. He was pointing it in the direction of where the sound came from.

"Scared you're going to get caught?" Magnus purred, his lips suddenly inches from Alec's ear. Alec's hands shook as he fought with the confusion within his mind. Turn around and shoot the real enemy! Kill the warlock! "Worried that your people will think you're a sympathizer?"

"Shut up warlock!" Alec snapped angrily.

Magnus rolled his eyes but couldn't stop smirking. "Just say Magnus you're my brave handsome hero and I'll get us out of this."

Alec scoffed. "No chance."

"Just say that you need my help, toots. Unless you'd rather be shamed by your people . . ."

"Stop playing games!"

"Why should I? I really enjoy games."

Fed up, Alec hissed, "What do you even plan to do, warlock? Got a spell of invisibility or something?"

"Is that your way of asking for help?" Magnus teased.

"Whatever!"

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"Magnus, I need you."

"Oh for Angel's sake, Magnus I need you!"

Magnus laughed. "Everyone needs me, sweetheart. They just don't know it yet." He wrapped his arms around Alec's waist suddenly, the touch making Alec freeze in horror. Then Magnus jumped and for a second Alec felt like he was flying. It was only for a second and then they were on the roof of the adjacent building. Magnus pulled them both down so they were lying flat against the ground.

The action had taken Alec by surprise so badly that it stole all breath from his body. "What was that?!" he gasped in shock.

"I've been known to sweep people off their feet," Magnus whispered, as if letting Alec in on a huge secret. "Stay down, you don't want to be seen." Alec took a moment to consider the possibility that he could be dreaming. Everything that was happening just seemed too surreal. He was hiding with a Downworlder from his own people. What sense did that make? "Psst."

"What?" Alec hissed.

"Why are you wearing a glove?" Magnus whispered.

"Does it matter?!"

"You weren't wearing it before."

"So what?"

"I'm curious!"

Alec rolled his eyes. "I couldn't get your stupid glitter off, alright?"

Magnus' face turned serious. "Oh."

The warlock's change of face made Alec's heart flip with worry. "What?" he demanded.

"You know what that means?" asked Magnus.

"What?"

Magnus leaned closer and Alec did the same, worried about the sticking of the ridiculous glitter meant. "It means we have to sleep together."

Alec's face dropped like a stone and he looked at Magnus in horror. The other man tried to remain serious but seeing the pure look of mortification on Alec's face made him burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but your face!" he giggled. "Priceless! I thought you said you had an education, pretty boy? It's glitter! Of course it's going to stick like super glue!" Magnus rolled onto his back and stared at the sky.

"You're insufferable," Alec spat.

"So you say," Magnus hummed. He turned his head to face Alec and licked his lips thoughtfully. Alec found himself looking away, feeling dirty for even watching such a thing. "Closet boys are always the funniest to play with."

Alec inhaled his spit and took a coughing fit. He rolled onto his back and thumped his chest, trying to get breath back into his body. Magnus stared at the shadowhunter with concern. The warlock leaned forward and pressed his hand against Alec's chest, azure sparks erupting from his fingers. Almost immediately, Alec's airways cleared and he could breathe again. He stared at Magnus' ringed hand like it was a leech on his body.

"What boys?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from Magnus' hand upon his chest and focusing on the Downworlder himself.

"Closet boys," Magnus said slowly. "You are in the closet right?"

"No," Alec scoffed.

"So you're out of the closet?"

"I don't need a closet!" Alec exclaimed. He took Magnus' hand off of him and sat upright. "I'm straight. Y'know, as an arrow and stuff."

Magnus scoffed, just as Alec had done. "Doubtful."

"What do you mean doubtful?!" Alec's heart was pounding frantically. Was it obvious that he was struggling with his sexuality? How many other people knew just by talking to him? "I like girls! And you know . . . their . . . their . . . curves and stuff. And don't get me started on their . . . uh . . . breasts?" Even the word made Alec cringe.

"Oh man, you're bad at this," Magnus laughed.

Alec stared at the gravel beneath him. He focused on how no two stones were the same. "What makes you think I am?"

"A closet?" Magnus asked. "Well, many things. Don't worry though, dear. Only things I would be clever enough to notice."

Alec ran a nervous hand through his black hair. "Your gaydar must be off or something then cuz' you're wrong."

Magnus sat up as well, propping himself up on his elbows. Alec looked over his shoulder at the warlock and was alarmed at the rush of warmth that flooded through him as their eyes met. "Again, doubtful," the Downworlder said.

Alec flushed angrily. "Is that so hard to believe?" he demanded.

"You know, I sometimes wonder why I despise Shadowhunters so much and then meeting people like you remind me." Magnus rolled his eyes and tutted. "They just can't accept people for who they are can they?" Alec tilted his head and frowned in confusion. "Look darling, don't let them scare you into pretending to be someone you're not."

"I'm not pretending," Alec lied.

Magnus nodded, even though he still didn't believe him. He suddenly perked up like a dog hearing its owner arrive after a long period of time. He flipped onto his stomach and army crawled to the edge of the roof. Alec crawled after him, curious to see what he was looking at. On the pavement down below, two people were talking. They were dressed completely in black but there was something off about them.

"No runes," Magnus murmured.

Alec swiped his hair back from his eyes, holding his hand on top of his head to keep it out of the way and looked further over the roof. Oh yeah. They didn't have any runes. Whatever skin you could see didn't even have scars from old runes. That was highly irregular.

"Who are they?" Alec frowned.

"Undercover Downworlders," answered Magnus.

"What?!"

Magnus shrugged. "It's why I'm here. Somehow Downworlders are crossing into Idris. They're disguising themselves as Shadowhunters and blending in to try to work their way up the ranks and discover your military secrets. Those two aren't runed yet but it's only a matter of time before they manage to fake some."

Alec squinted at Magnus. "You said you weren't here for any particular reason," he said.

"And you believed me? Bad idea, really, darling."

"Why would you want to help us?" asked Alec.

Magnus shrugged again. "Who knows?" he replied. "It's all pretty wild and complicated and I doubt you could be bothered to hear most of it. Let's just say I owe a good friend a favour and said favour involves saving your sorry hides before these Downworlders wipe you all out." He grinned at Alec. "You could help me."

"Help you?!"

"Why not? It could be like a cheesy spinoff show. The Warlock and the Shadowhunter! No, that's two long. Magnus and Blue Eyes! Bye Eyes and Magnus? No, that doesn't sound right either . . ."

"Next you're going to be coming up with the Bane Chronicles," Alec muttered.

Magnus clicked his fingers. "I like that. The Bane Chronicles. Has an awesome ring to it!"

Alec rolled his eyes and mimed shooting himself in the head. "What can you tell me about these trespassing Downworlders?" he asked.

"Is that your way of saying yes to my partnership offer?" Magnus teased.

"It's my way of saying I'm prepared to listen to you."

Magnus grinned. "Excellent!"

Alec felt like he was going to regret this. Big time.


	6. A Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus tells Alec what is going on with the Downworlders infiltrating Idris and they devise a plan to figure out what's going on.

Chapter Five

"To put it frankly, I've known for a while now that the Shadowhunters are going to lose the war," Magnus stated. They remained on the rooftop because Alec made it clear that he was not going to go back to the pavement to risk getting caught again. The shadowhunter lay low, in case someone just so happened to glance out their window and see them on the rooftop which was extremely unlikely but not impossible.

"How could you possibly know that?" Alec snapped. Despite the fact that he too knew they were losing and were most definitely going to fail, he didn't like hearing it come out of the other side's mouth.

"It's obvious," said Magnus. At Alec's scandalized expression, he sighed and added, "I'm sorry but it's true. Do you want to be molly coddled about this?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly. Alec scowled but didn't dain the warlock with a response. "The fact that Downworlders in disguise are beginning to cross over into Idris just makes your weakness all the more obvious."

"We're not weak," Alec protested.

"Oh, I know that part. Shadowhunters are strong." Magnus used sarcastic finger gestures for 'strong'. "Just not strong enough to notice the creatures who come through the portals dressed like you but not marked. You're too focused on fighting your battles. By the time you've regained your focus it's too late. They've already marked themselves with fake runes."

"How did you find out about all this?" asked Alec.

"A good friend of mine has been providing the Downworlders with his services at astonishing rates. Services which include rune spells. Well, fake rune spells . . . If he knew I was being sympathetic to you lot he'd probably flip his lid." Magnus grinned, as if he wanted to tell this friend of his that he was doing the equivalent of sympathising just to annoy them. Alec wondered if Magnus got pleasure from winding everyone up, not just him. "He was very private about it. The only reason I found out was because I walked into his domain while he was providing service to a fey. Quite the awkward situation, might I add."

Alec rubbed a hand over his face. He wasn't tired but he felt a headache coming on as a result of lack of sleep and fatigue. "So why did you decide to help us?" he asked.

"Well, at first I wasn't going to," answered Magnus. The glittery warlock seemed incapable of staying still. Alec could sort of understand that (the only reason he wasn't fidgeting or pacing around was because he didn't want to stand up and risk being caught out) but Magnus' unsettled behaviour was for a different reason to Alec's. Alec couldn't stay still because he was hardwired to be alert. Magnus couldn't stay still because he was hardwired to have the attention span of an ADHD puppy.

"What changed your mind?"

Magnus shrugged. "I came here to check out the situation myself," he explained. "The Battle at Warren Point was the perfect time to come out into the streets more, since you were all preoccupied battling the fairies who rightfully took advantage of the three day full moon. At first I couldn't tell. I couldn't see anyone! Literally nobody is on the streets. Why is that, anyway?"

"We don't want to be attacked," said Alec. "All minors under 18 train on earth, putting their training into action by battling demons and soldiers have a choice between living here and joining the minors at an institute."

"Which do you prefer?" asked Magnus.

Alec paused before answering. He wasn't sure if he preferred either. Being in New York always reminded him of how he could be called to fight at any second and the emptiness of Idris just reminded him of the devastation and fear the war was causing. "I go where my family goes."

"Ah, yes, there's more of you, isn't there?" said Magnus. "Maryse and Robert were very keen to give the army as many soldiers as they could, weren't they? Don't they hold the record for most amount of successful Duty Leaves before death? Three of them, right?"

"I don't know," answered Alec. "I don't know a lot about them. But yes, there's three of us. Myself, my sister and my brother."

Magnus tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That's right! Ingrid and Matthew, am I right?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Isabelle and Max."

"That's it!"

"You're getting off point."

Magnus snapped his fingers. "I am," he said. "Shut up, you're distracting me." Alec scowled and opened his mouth to protest but swiftly shut it again dubiously as Magnus put his finger to his lips and shushed him. "Anyway, when I finally found some people roaming the streets I had realized by this point that it wasn't normal to see people roaming the streets at all. After that the signs were a piece of cake. There's enough Downworlders here to create a small colony."

"But what do they want?" Alec pressed.

"Now that, I don't know," said Magnus. "It's what I'm trying to find out myself. I hate not knowing things. So I suppose in a way I'm not exactly helping you but helping myself. And through helping myself I must help you."

Alec tried to get what Magnus was telling him straight in his head but he failed. His eyebrows felt like they were going to permanently stay in the confused frown Magnus seemed to have caused. "I have to tell someone about this," he said. Who could he tell? If he told the Council they'd very likely ask him how he found out and he couldn't say that a trespassing warlock told him. They'd more likely focus on that over what Alec was trying to tell them.

"Did you have a plan of action?" asked Alec.

"I did," admitted Magnus, "but I lost it about halfway through because I ran into you. Pretty boys always make me lose my train of thought." Magnus rolled his eyes and tutted, like it was Alec's fault more than his own.

"You mean you were executing a plan of action last night?" asked Alec. The sun was rising and the area was beginning to get brighter. Even if the streets were usually empty for the best part of the day, there was still the occasional drifter. Alec slumped lower so he was practically lying on his back on the gravel. From this angle, Magnus looked like a giant.

"I was thinking about the sort of plan of action I could execute," Magnus corrected. "I had a pretty good one in my head too." Magnus scratched his head, causing glitter to fall out of his hair in a sparkly shower. Alec was reminded of the fairies he killed the day before and shuddered, pushing the memory far from his mind and focusing on the task at hand. "Until you tried to kill me and distracted me completely."

"What do you want, an apology?" Alec demanded. He wasn't being serious but Magnus immediately latched onto the idea, this being clear through the way his green eyes lit up like a 'go' light. "No chance."

"It'd be terribly rude not to," Magnus pointed out.

"I didn't even do anything. Apologies are for being regretful of something. I'm not regretful of anything," Alec said indignantly. "What do you want me to say? 'Sorry for doing my duty'? 'Sorry for doing what I've been raised to do'? Because that's not going to happen."

"How about . . ." Magnus tapped his chin thoughtfully but his eyes lit up again and he declared, "I'm sorry Magnus for showing up so suddenly and distracting you with my angelic looks. I shall make it up to you by doing a strip tease." He smirked, the action reeking of mischief, and laughed when Alec flushed bright red at the very idea.

"Are you always like this or has the three day full moon made you loopy?" asked Alec.

Magnus cocked his head and frowned. "I think I shall add 'and for being surly' to that apology list. Are you always this pleasant or is it a special gift for me?"

"Are you always so mad or is it a special gift for me?" Alec threw back.

"My special gifts aren't madness," said Magnus. "My special gifts come in different forms." He winked and Alec felt a twinge in his gut, a stirring in his being from the simple dropping of the eyelid. Alec didn't like it and he wished it would go away. It was usually accompanied by an annoying voice at the back of his head gushing about how handsome Magnus was and how cool it would be to get to know the warlock better. It was like a tiny version of Isabelle living in his head, trying to dictate his life.

"You're still completely mad," Alec concluded.

"We're all mad here," Magnus replied. He crossed the rooftop and stood beside Alec's slumped body. He looked down on the Shadowhunter distastefully. "I don't mean to sound rude and don't take this in an insulting way at all but why are you sitting like the crooked woman?"

"I don't want to be seen," said Alec.

Magnus frowned. "I suppose it's a bad time to mention that I cast an invisibility spell the moment we landed up here then?" he asked.

Alec straightened up. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'd like to say yes but then I'd be lying."

Alec groaned and stood up, grumbling about how ridiculous this whole situation was and how he should have just stayed at home and avoided this mess. Allowed Magnus to get on with whatever he wanted to get on with and just continue being a soldier. Because this was too weird and surreal. It felt like everything was spiralling out of control and Alec couldn't stop it.

"If it makes you feel any better, darling, I can cast all sorts of spells so even if someone did see us I can wipe their memory pretty quick," Magnus.

Magnus' powers made Alec weary. He knew that Magnus wouldn't use them on him but it still unnerved him how the warlock could do almost anything with a simple snap of his fingers. If Magnus changed his mind about anything-which Alec wouldn't be surprised if it happened since, as before mentioned, Magnus had the attention span of an ADHD puppy-he could easily kill Alec before he had a chance to load his bow again.

So why did he trust him not to?

"So what do we do?" asked Alec.

"I would like to have a word with my friend who's been giving the Downworlders the runes," Magnus mused. He ran a ringed hand through his hair, not at all bothered by the glitter that latched to his fingers because of the action.

"Do you think he'd be willing to help?"

"Not if he saw you, no," Magnus admitted. "Might think you're going to raid him or something." Magnus grinned at the thought. "But you shall can come. A good fright is just what he needs. Puts hair on your chest."

Alec didn't ask for Magnus' assistance to get down from the roof. He found a nice selection of footholds from loose bricks and a draining pipe. He wasn't going to give Magnus another excuse to wrap his arms around him. Alec didn't want to be having any more unwelcome thoughts about how Magnus smelled of jasmine for some bizarre reason and how his arms-though thin-held a lot of strength and warmth in them.

All Magnus had to do was jump, as he had done before. Alec presumed that he used magic to protect himself from damage. Is there such thing as 'don't shatter my ankles' spell? "Don't stray too far," Magnus warned. "Go too far and you'll step out of range of my magic."

"Your magic has range?" Alec asked, unimpressed.

Magnus smirked. "Is that your way or telling me that you despise the idea of having to stay in close proximity?" he teased.

"What? No!"

"Good!" Magnus snatched Alec's wrist and dragged him backwards so they were standing next to each other. "Now let's go. There's a lot to be done and so little time to do it."

"Wait," Alec placed his hand on Magnus' wrist as he lifted his hand to open a portal. "I need to tell my sister that I'm leaving. I don't want her to be worrying about me."

"Would she?" asked Magnus.

"Yes, she would. She worries about everything." Alec turned around and started back in the direction of the Lightwood household. Magnus didn't hesitate before following him. "It will only take a second. I'll tell her . . . I don't know. I'll say I'm going to check on Hodge back at the Institute. Which I should probably do anyway . . ."

"It's sweet that you worry about your sister and stuff," Magnus said, "but do you really think lying to her is going to help?"

"Magnus, she's not a sympathiser. She won't like it if I tell her what I'm really doing," said Alec. "And if Jace finds out . . . well then God help us all."

"Ooooh, who's Jace?" Magnus was practically skipping beside Alec, he was so upbeat. "Is he your parabatai?"

Alec looked at Magnus incredulously. "How could you possibly know that?" he demanded. "Can you read minds or something? You seem to be doing it a lot. If that's the truth then please stop it." The thought of Magnus hoking around in his mind made Alec very uncomfortable.

Magnus snorted. "No, I can see the rune peeking out from the collar of your sleep shirt," he said.

Right. Yeah. That made more sense.

"Yes, he's my parabatai," Alec sighed.

"I think I remember who you're talking about now. That's the orphan boy, isn't it? The one that the uproar was about because your trainer fellow took him in?" Magnus asked.

"Yes," Alec muttered.

"What made me think he was dead?" Magnus mused.

Alec looked at Magnus in alarm. "I have no idea," he said slowly. "But Jace is most certainly not dead."

"Well, yeah, I get that now," said Magnus flippantly.

"Where the hell did you even get that idea from?" Alec demanded.

"Don't know, really. I suppose I heard it from somewhere." Magnus scratched the back of his head in deep thought and shrugged. "No, I don't know. It might come to me later but it probably won't as well."

Alec pulled the collar of his shirt up to cover the parabatai rune, even though you could see it through the thin material of his shirt anyway. That reminded him, he should probably get into his gear while he was back home as well. He wasn't going to saunter around in his sleep shirt for however long it was going to take to sort this situation out.

The Lightwood home wasn't very imposing. It was part of a row of others, blending into the almost suburban area perfectly. It was clear from its appearance that it was old. Peeling paint; rickety structure; garden that didn't even look like a garden and more like a jungle. Despite all of this, Magnus still whistled in admiration. "Man, that place nearly looks as old as me," he said.

"How old are you?" Alec frowned, stopping at the path that led to the door to procrastinate the moment where they'd actually have to go inside.

Magnus pretended to be horrified. "Don't you know it's rude to ask a warlock his age?"

"Is it?" Alec asked flatly.

"Of course it is! You don't see me going around asking your age."

"It's eighteen."

"Well you would say that, wouldn't you?"

Alec shook his head and started up the path. When he reached the door, he stopped. Magnus was right behind him, so close Alec could practically hear the magic vibrating off of him. Was that even how magic worked? "Is your spell still in place?" he asked.

"Yes," Magnus answered. "Why? Embarrassed to show off your new friend to the family?"

"Not at all. More like worried that you'll have a seraph blade buried in your chest before you help me sort out this Downworlder problem," said Alec.

"Your sympathy is overwhelming," Magnus commented dryly. "I mean, really, keep it coming."

Alec ignored Magnus and pushed the door into his house. Magnus hung back a little so that the shadowhunter stepped out of his magic's range before following. Alec looked over his shoulder when he reached the stairs and was amazed by how he couldn't see Magnus at all. The door shut, like a breeze made it close, and it felt as if Alec had come home alone. That is, until a hand touched Alec's shoulder and he jumped out of his skin in surprise.

"Oops, sorry." Suddenly Magnus was back, standing on the stair above Alec. "I altered the settings a little so you can see me and no one else can."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning," Alec muttered, brushing past Magnus grumpily. "Now hush, I don't want Isabelle thinking I've lost my mind by talking to myself."

Magnus obediently zipped his lips and followed Alec up the stairs. Isabelle's room was on the second floor to the right of the staircase. Alec knocked on her door three times before getting an annoyed/tired, "What?!" in response.

Rolling his eyes, Alec entered his sister's room. Isabelle's room was exactly like Max's minus the posters. Where Max brought posters and merchandise with him, Isabelle brought make-up and clothes. She lay on her bed, face down on the itchy covers, thin nightdress revealing more than Alec really wanted to ever see of his sister. The material rules were ridiculous. If the Clave wanted to save materials they could do it in their own time. If they weren't careful, the Shadowhunter's downfall was going to be pneumonia not Downworlders.

"Iz, I'm going out for a bit," Alec said carefully. "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Mgmf, have you been drafted again?" The thought made Isabelle try to push herself up out of bed.

"No, it's fine," Alec assured her. "I'm just going to do a job for the Clave and then visit Hodge, okay?"

"Alright," Isabelle mumbled, collapsing against her bed again and flipping onto the other side.

Alec turned around and nearly bumped right into Magnus, who was admiring a fancy perfume bottle on Isabelle's vanity table. When they were out of Isabelle's room again and into the hallway, Magnus declared, "Remind me to someday ask your sister where she shops if this war is ever resolved."

Alec could imagine Isabelle and Magnus getting on like a house on fire if there wasn't the divide between their people. They were nearly the exact same person. Alec wove around Magnus and headed in the direction of the second flight of stairs, where Max and his own rooms lay. They passed Jace's door on the way and Magnus paused, leaning his ear close to the door and frowning.

"What?" asked Alec.

"Duty leave?" Magnus asked back, pointing at Jace's door.

"What? No! Jace is sixteen, he doesn't have duty leave yet."

Magnus pulled a face and moved away from the door. Alec didn't want to know what he heard in there. Clary's seeming inability to conceive with Jace was becoming a pressing issue between them both and making their relationship very tense. Alec didn't want to think about it any longer than he had to.

"Is this your room?" Magnus sniffed once they reached Alec's room.

"Yes," Alec replied, crouching on the floor and dragging his gear out from under his bed, where he left it neatly folded.

"It's very drab."

"Thank you for that opinion I didn't ask for." Alec stood up and looked at Magnus, who looked right back at him.

"What?" the warlock asked.

"I need to get into gear."

"And?"

"I'd rather not do it with you standing there watching."

Magnus' eyes lit up with delight. "Oh, I see!" he said childishly. "Sorry!" He turned around and faced the wall. Almost immediately he groaned. "Do be quick, darling, I feel like I'm going to go blind from the blandness of this colour scheme."

Alec rolled his eyes but did get changed quickly, knowing full well that if Magnus got bored enough he'd turn around without abandon. Alec holstered a couple of seraph blades and shouldered his quiver again. Magnus turned around as he was lacing up his boots. "I always liked a man in uniform," the warlock teased.

Alec scoffed and stood up, throwing his bow over his head and walking around the bed to stand beside Magnus again. "So, where is this friend of yours?" he asked.

"Back on earth," answered Magnus. "His name is Ragnor Fell. And I think it's about time we paid him a visit."


	7. Ragnor Fell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec, now allies, visit an old friend of Magnus' for information on the Downworlders who have been marking themselves and entering Idris . . .

"I must warn you about Ragnor. We warlocks always have a . . . special feature that makes us the fabulous creatures that we are," Magnus explained outside the Lightwood Household.

Alec pointed at his eyes in silent question. Magnus grinned and nodded. Magnus had these amazing feline shaped eyes that Alec couldn't deny were hypnotizing. "Is Ragnor's feature galling or something?" asked Alec.

"Hey, don't be judgmental. I haven't even told you what it is yet," said Magnus.

"Okay then, tell me."

"He's green."

Alec raised his eyebrows. "You felt the need to warn me that your friend is green?" he asked with disbelief. "I deal with Downworlders on a regular basis you know."

Magnus shrugged as they crossed the road to the alleyway where the war portals were often opened. "Ragnor is a sensitive little green bean," he explained. "He's easily offended."

"So he's sensitive . . . but you call him green bean?" asked Alec.

"BFF privileges," Magnus waved the question off with. He grinned at Alec's exasperated expression and winked at him. Once hidden in the alleyway, Magnus rubbed his hands together so baby blue sparks coated his fingers like static electricity.

"What are you doing?" Alec frowned.

"I'm going to open a portal," Magnus answered. He pulled his hands apart so the static-like sparks created a web between his palms.

Alec gaped. "I don't travel by warlock portals unless necessary," he said.

"You wouldn't call this necessary?" Magnus asked incredulously.

"Not urgently, no," Alec replied.

"How do you plan to get out of Idris then?"

Alec shook his head and muttered, "I hadn't thought that far yet."

Magnus studied the shadowhunter in the shadows of the alleyway. Just like the previous night, the one thing that shone in the darkness was Alec's eyes. Alec himself probably viewed this as a curse instead of a blessing but there wasn't much to be done about it. It was kinda unfortunate for the Lightwood boy, since his family usually had dull green eyes. Not bright, flashy, crisp blue eyes that demanded the attention of everyone in the room. Sadly, the most beautiful things weren't all that practical. Like Magnus' leopard print leggings. Very fashionable but not good for outdoor use when trying to blend in.

Still, Alec's determination to stick to his morals was admirable. It wasn't often that you happen upon a Shadowhunter who didn't exploit the powers of captured warlocks. It seemed Alec only did it when he was forced to; when he was called into battle and had no choice because he was in front of other Shadowhunters.

"Darling, I understand you reluctance-truly, I do-but there's no other way of getting from point A to point B. Besides, I'm not a captured warlock so it's not like you're exploiting me," Magnus said, waving a ring fingered hand around himself in a flippant gesture.

Alec was still reluctant but nodded anyway. "Alright," he muttered.

Magnus grinned and set to work building a portal. It took a quarter of an hour, which was impressive for portal standards. Alec paced the alley nervously the entire time. Each minute that passed brought them faster to the curfew being over. When the curfew was over, people would come out. When people came out, they were in danger of being caught. Magnus was annoyingly calm about the possibility of his capture and imprisonment and even took the time to blow on his fingernails once the portal was made.

"Are you finished?" Alec asked nervously, kicking an empty carton of noodles against the wall to ebb his anxiety.

"Yep. This should lead right outside Ragnor's"-Magnus didn't even get an opportunity to finish the sentence before Alec had darted through. The warlock stared at the spot where the Shadowhunter previously stood. " . . . House." With a sigh, Magnus walked through the portal in pursuit of Alec.

Ragnor was currently residing in Spain, in a small cabin in Salou. Magnus counted his lucky stars that it wasn't Peru because that would have led to further complications. He found Alec standing in the wild grassland that surrounded the cabin, staring at the structure like it was an alien. The Shadowhunter looked like something out of a painting: the sky a pale baby blue; the field's luminous yellows and greens; the cabin built of tanned brown wood; and Alec, standing in the middle of it, contrasting against all the bright colours with his black hair and attire. Somehow, it worked for him. Especially since the black brought out his milky complexion wonderfully.

"Problem?" Magnus asked.

"Is it abandoned?" asked Alec in reference to the cabin.

"What? No. It's Ragnor's cabin," said Magnus. He clicked his fingers and the portal whirled shut, blinking out of existence.

"It looks empty."

"Or just in need of a little love."

Alec frowned at Magnus. Not wanting to start a conversation about what could be done to make Ragnor's home look more inviting, the Shadowhunter began to wade through the grass, which was waist high. "Where are we anyway?" he asked Magnus.

"In Salou!" Magnus declared proudly, throwing his hands dramatically in the air and causing birds to flee at the sudden noise. "Land of intense heat, siestas and dirty tap water!"

Alec wasn't used to the intense heat of Spain and was already beginning to sweat. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, trying to ignore the voice at the back of his head that told him that he may have to strip off a couple of layers if they were to stay in Salou long. The colour of his gear didn't help either since black attracted the sun the way light attracted moths. "So you've been here before?" he asked.

"Nope," Magnus responded. "I have been sending Ragnor letters, however, hence why I know where he is currently."

"So does Ragnor move often then?" asked Alec.

Magnus shrugged. "When you're immortal, you have to move around otherwise people get suspicious," he explained.

Alec folded his arms across his chest. He'd never liked the idea of immortality. Having to watch the years go by; losing loved ones; watching the world crumble then rebuild then turn to ashes just to rise again . . . it all sounded heart wrenching to him. Magnus seemed to be dealing with it pretty well though, all things considered.

Magnus shrugged off his jacket and tied it around his waist as they reached the steps leading to Ragnor's porch. Alec forced himself to look straight ahead as they mounted the porch and to not notice how the warlock's shirt did good things for his biceps. Thoughts like that were wrong. Especially if he had any hope of having successful Duty Leave in the future which was looking far less likely as each day passed. The idea terrified Alec.

Alec laid a cautious hand on the handle of the seraph blade that was strapped to his hip as Magnus raised his fist to knock on the door. Noticing this, Magnus paused with his hand in mid-air and said, "You know that's not necessary. Ragnor's about as dangerous as a ladybird."

"A ladybird can still be poisonous if consumed by certain animals," Alec replied immediately.

"God, you Shadowhunters are a bundle of laughs," Magnus muttered to himself before knocking on the door. There was no response. Magnus knocked again but it provoked the same reaction. "Maybe he's at Porta Ventura . . ."

Alec shook his head. "There's heavy breathing on the other side of the door," he informed Magnus.

"There is?" asked Magnus, leaning forward as if it was going to help him hear better. "Ragnor!" he yelled, making Alec jump. "No point hiding! We can smell you from out here!"

"And that's going to make him answer the door?" Alec said flatly.

"It's just something we do. He knows I'm joking," Magnus grinned.

"No Shadowhunter is allowed in here!" A voice shouted back from behind the cabin door. "It's against my Conditions of Service!"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "What Conditions of Service, you bowl of spinach?!" he yelled back. "Warlocks don't have Conditions of Service!"

"Well I do!" Ragnor replied petulantly.

Magnus looked at Alec apologetically. "I do apologise for Ragnor's rudeness," he said. "He's actually very nice when you get to know him. Takes a couple of centuries to warm up to him but suffice to say, he is a good guy to have hanging around. Especially if you need to blame an accident on someone." He winced. "Bad days in Venice come to mind . . ."

"Should I enter by force?" asked Alec.

"I dunno . . . You won't hurt him, will you?" Magnus frowned.

Alec ushered Magnus out of the way and backed up a little. "I don't hurt anyone unless they try to hurt me first," he said. He stepped back with one leg and bounced forward, using the momentum to kick the cabin door open. The door swung open, as if it had simply been closed but not tightly. Magnus suddenly remembered why he liked Alec. He was different from other Shadowhunters. Hopefully, Ragnor would see this too.

Ragnor's interior was a mess. Cauldrons and candles and spell books lay scattered across the floor. The walls and floors were stained with what looked like different coloured dust that seemed to have been splattered there like paint. It smelled profusely of burned hair, the scent so thick that Magnus momentarily felt suffocated by it.

Ragnor himself was pressed against a table that was situated by the far wall. As soon as they entered, he threw a spell at them, which Magnus easily deflected. This caused a yellow splatter of dust to join the various others on the wall. "We just want to talk!" Magnus insisted.

"I don't have anything to say to the likes of him!" Ragnor spat. "I don't trust Shadowhunters!"

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now," Alec said bluntly.

Magnus smirked. He didn't doubt that for a second. "We just want to talk about the services you've been providing to the Downworlders," he explained.

"Why? So the enemy over there can go back and tell his friends?" Ragnor scoffed. "No chance. I knew you'd turn out to be a Shadowhunter Sympathizer, Magnus! All it took was for the first black haired, blue eyed guy to appear and you're immediately at their feet!"

Alec looked alarmed by the very possibility of Magnus being anywhere near his feet and, as amusing as this was to Magnus himself, he couldn't help being offended by what his friend was trying to say. "I'm not a Sympathizer, Ragnor. I've told you time and time again that I don't have a particular side I favour"-

"Which makes no sense whatsoever because you're a Downworlder, not a Nephilim," Ragnor intercepted.

Ignoring this comment, Magnus pressed further, "I am just doing this because I don't think that it is right for Downworlders to be marking themselves and pretending to be Shadowhunters. We shouldn't even be able to mark ourselves!"

"Is that the service you're providing?" asked Alec. "You're marking Downworlders somehow?"

"I told you, I'm saying nothing," Ragnor answered.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Don't make me put a truth spell on you because you know I will if I have to and if I do have to then not only will I get the information I want but I'll also ask all sorts of embarrassing questions so that Alexander here gets a good idea of how truly idiotic you can be when you're drunk."

Ragnor scoffed. "Says you." He held eye contact with Magnus for a minute and when he realized that he wasn't kidding around, he sighed and said, "You better sit."

Magnus grinned and swiped the door shut with his forefinger. He sat down at a different table that was situated in the middle of the room. Alec didn't do the same and instead chose to stand, ready to jump into action if the need arose. "So, tell us," said Magnus.

Ragnor sighed and joined them at the table. "Honestly, I don't believe in marking Downworlders either but I couldn't say no. They'd have thought I was a Sympathizer," he explained. "The only reason they didn't go to you, Magnus, is because you dropped off the radar."

"Yeah, I've been playing Totally Spy in Idris," Magnus answered. He waved Alec closer with his fingers, knowing that the Shadowhunter would gladly stand against the wall like a body guard rather than participate in the conversation. However, Magnus felt more comfortable with the Lightwood boy closer at hand. When he could feel Alec's presence behind his seat-the boy's warmth exuding like a viral infection-he felt better. "So how exactly have you been doing it?"

"It's not my spell," said Ragnor. "Any Downworlder who wants to go to Idris has to bring me what's required or else it won't work."

"And what's required?" asked Magnus.

"Does it matter?" Ragnor replied.

Magnus shrugged. "We need to find out whose idea this originally was," he explained. "The ingredients could be a sign of where to investigate next."

Ragnor snapped his fingers and one of the books that lay on the floor soared across the room and into his hand. He flipped his hand over the pages once and the book jerked open to the right page. "This book was given to me by the first person who asked to be marked: a vampire girl named Hettie."

"So it was the vampire's idea to do this and the other Downworlders tagged on?" asked Magnus.

Ragnor shook his head and showed Magnus the pages. "It isn't the vampire's style, see?"

"So . . . what?" Magnus frowned.

"Whoever's truly behind this obviously convinced the vampires to do it first," Alec suddenly said. "Just in case anyone ever did investigate it, it would look like the vampires' plan and not theirs. It was pretty amateur of them to not write their book like the vampires if they were trying to hide themselves." He glanced at Ragnor. "Whose style is it?"

"The pages are made of Djalken: a mixture of kelp and seaweed bonded with coral extract," explained Ragnor. "The words are also written in Qualen-an ink substitute made by grinding sand and mixing it into clay-which makes me think of"-

"Mer-folk," Magnus finished.

"Why would the mer-folk wish to mark Downworlders?" asked Alec. "I thought they were the least involved in the war."

"Maybe that rumour was a ploy . . . to disguise their true intentions so that the Nephilim wouldn't suspect them," Magnus mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm . . ." He looked to Ragnor. "May we take the book to have a look at it?"

"Nah-uh," Ragnor said, pulling the book up against his chest defensively. "I have other appointments. I need this book. Want your own copy? Go talk to the vampires. Or the mer-folk. Or whoever really made it."

Magnus rolled his cat-like eyes but didn't push his friend any further. They were lucky enough to get the information they just did, there was no point pushing it. "Fine," he said, standing up with a flourish. He completely forgot about Alec being behind him and had to force himself to ignore the comedic way the Shadowhunter had to jump backwards to avoid being hit with his chair as to keep his dramatic effect. "Just promise you won't tell anyone about us if they ever come asking."

Ragnor snapped the book shut and stood up as well. His pea green skin seemed to glow in the sunlight that spilled in through the window. "I will keep my silence because it's you, Magnus. But if anything huge becomes of this know that if it comes down to either me or you, I won't be faithful," he warned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Magnus replied with a tight smile. He spun around dramatically and waved his hand, causing the door to fly open. "Come Alexander, I think we've overstayed our welcome." He left the cabin with Alec close behind, leaving Ragnor in the dark gloom of his unruly home as the door slammed shut again.

"That was a bit melodramatic," Alec commented as he followed Magnus back out into the field.

"Making an exit is just as important as making an entrance," Magnus answered.

"I thought you said Ragnor was your friend. He basically just said that he'd sell you out if it came down to it," Alec said, finally catching up with Magnus and falling in step beside him.

"Ragnor is a good friend but his survival instinct is too strong," Magnus sighed. "When confronted with fight or flight he chooses 'sell out whoever you can to ensure safety'. It's a bit of a blow below the belt but I don't expect any more from him." He blew an annoyed raspberry. "Now if it had been Catarina doing this then maybe we would have been safer . . ."

"Don't you have . . . I don't know . . . like a Warlock Oath or something? Protect one's own, that sort of thing?" asked Alec.

Magnus snorted. "No," he replied. "There's Warlock Law, but no Oath of Loyalty."

A small pause. "Then how do you trust anyone?"

"Short answer: I don't."

Alec decided not to push the topic any harder. He knew what it was like to not wish to talk about something and he wasn't going to force Magnus into saying anything he didn't want to say. "So . . . what do we do now?" he asked. They were just walking across the field in no particular direction and it was becoming a bit disorientating to even remember in which direction Ragnor's cabin had even been.

"I propose that we find the closest ocean," Magnus answered, coming to a stop in the tall grass. He put his hands on his hips and looked around the endless sea of green and yellow weeds. "I want to summon some mer-folk."

"Do you think they'll talk to us about it?" asked Alec.

"They'll have to," said Magnus.

"And why's that?"

Magnus smiled. A childish, boyish, cheeky smile that made Alec's stomach do somersaults. "Because I have something they want."


	8. Llevant Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus go to Llevant Beach in the dead of night to attempt to summon the merfolk. But once they do, they get a nasty surprise . . .

Chapter Seven

Llevant Beach was deserted. Alec guessed it was because they waited until the dead of night to go. He didn't have a watch but his internal body clock told him that it was nearly one in the morning. The Visionary Rune Clary gave him was still working, granting him the ability to see in the ink blackness of the early morning.

"How is it still warm at one in the morning?" he grumbled irritably, rolling his sleeves up and stretching out his gloved fingers.

"Because we're in a hot climate," Magnus answered. He patted Alec's shoulder with a smile. "You'll adjust, honey, don't worry."

The tide was in, meaning there was more water than sand. Alec's boots sunk into the ground the closer they got to the ocean's edge. They were now so close that the water brushed over his ankles, soaking his boots and sliding on beyond. Magnus didn't seem to care about getting wet himself, despite the fact that he was not dressed as practically as Alec was.

"How exactly do we summon mer-folk?" Alec asked.

"It's actually not that hard," Magnus replied, taking a sudden right turn and leading Alec to a cluster of rocks. "Especially when they know what I have."

"What is it that you have?" asked Alex.

Magnus grinned and tapped his nose. "You'll see."

When they reached the rock cluster, Magnus didn't pause once before beginning to scale them. Alex watched incredulously, untrusting of Magnus' ability of completing such a feat without breaking his neck. "Do you want me to go up first and give you a hand?" he enquired.

"No, no, I've got this," Magnus said, slinging himself up onto one rock before scrambling up the next. Alec assumed that Magnus had cast some sort of seeing in the dark spell. Either that, or he was extremely good at sensing where everything was. Half way up, Magnus' foot slipped, causing him to windmill like a maniac. Alec's heart stopped completely in his chest, horrible images coming into his head of Magnus getting impaled on a rock just because he lost his footing.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the donkey that took 'em to Bethlehem!" Magnus exclaimed in shock, regaining his balance and putting his hands on his knees. "Whoa, that was close."

Alec stared up at Magnus, amazed by his ability to write off his near death experience. "Mary and who?" he asked, having to shout to be heard over the clashing of the waves.

"Doesn't matter!" Magnus yelled back. He frowned. "Are you coming or what?"

Alec sighed reluctantly. He made quick work of the rocks, joining Magnus in a matter of seconds. The warlock stared at him incredulously, huffing stubbornly. "You know what? Maybe you should take over the entire mission. Could save us a lot of time and effort. You can obviously do the physical stuff better than me, you've made this abundantly clear!" he suddenly ranted.

"Are you cranky because it's one in the morning?"

"Maybe I am, who cares anymore? Let's just get this ordeal finished with."

Alec rolled his eyes but agreed. When Magnus was tired, at least he wasn't bouncing off the walls and making inappropriate comments. It seemed that his near death experience had knocked the rest of that clean out of him. Now the warlock just wanted to sleep. "Do you want to wait until the morning?"

"No," Magnus huffed. "They won't come then."

Where they were standing, the rocks were overhanging the ocean. When Alec looked down, all he saw was the black abyss of the ocean. Not even the Visionary Runes could see through the black hole that was the water beneath them. There was a breeze but it wasn't biting or chilly, to Alec's dismay. The hot climate was unbearable, even at night. No wonder the people who lived there slept during the day, if they didn't they'd melt into puddles!

Magnus stuffed his hand into his jacket pocket and rummaged around. "It's here somewhere," he muttered, his tongue poking out from between his lips with concentration. From the way he was hoking around, it gave the impression that they were larger than they seemed. Alec didn't second guess this assumption, as making his pockets bigger didn't hold a candle to the magic that Magnus had produced up to this point.

Alec rubbed the dirt from the rocks off his hands, having to scrape some of it off his glove with his fingernail because it had attached itself to the leather. He glanced at Magnus, who was still searching his pockets, and hoped to the Angel he found what he was looking for. And soon. There was something unsettling about the atmosphere, something that put his Shadowhunter senses on red alert. He couldn't decipher what it was, though, and only hoped that he was wrong in his concern.

"Ah-ha!" Magnus declared, producing something small from his coat pocket. He held it between his thumb and forefinger and Alec had to squint through the darkness to see, Visionary Runes clearly wearing off.

"What is it?" Alec frowned, unable to see what the other was holding.

Magnus turned his hand and whatever he was holding glinted emerald green. "I dated a mermaid once," the warlock explained, examining the object from every possible angle. "She wasn't the most delightful of people, I must say. Very deceitful creatures, much like the fey. They'll hypnotize you into following them into the ocean, where they'll either eat you alive or conform you to one of them."

"How can you date a mermaid? She would have had to live by the sea and you're not exactly a merman yourself," said Alec.

"I can breathe underwater, it only takes a simple spell," Magnus answered. He laughed quietly, as if remembering something funny but private. "She wanted me to become one of them. I'm kind of glad, since the alternative isn't exactly pleasant."

"How do they choose who they conform and who gets eaten?"

Magnus shrugged. "I suppose it's something to do with their relation to incubi. They conform those who they believe are aesthetically pleasing, those who could easily pass for one of them. When someone is turned into one of the merfolk, they keep their faces, you see. They want people who wouldn't give their reputation as stunning and majestic a hit. The others? They get eaten. You need to be able to hypnotize people to follow you into the water, I doubt having an ugly mug would help your case much, hence why they devour them."

"I'm guessing you said no," Alec said. "To your mermaid girlfriend, I mean."

"Le duh," Magnus scoffed. "I despise the smell of seaweed."

"Why were you dating her in the first place then?"

"I thought we could work around it."

Alec rolled his eyes. "What is that?" he asked tiredly, pointing at the mysterious special thing that was going to make the mermaids come without question.

"I plucked it from her the day we broke up. She wasn't looking and barely noticed anyway. Well, I say barely noticed; she yelped and I blamed it on a crab," Magnus explained.

"That doesn't answer my question . . ."

Magnus took Alec's hand and gently placed the object in his palm. It was light as a feather. In fact, Alec felt like he wasn't holding anything. Contrasted against his black glove, Alec was able to make out the shape of it. It was kind of oval and glinted against the moonlight that glowed above them, the only adequate light source.

"It's a scale," Magnus finally answered.

"Like . . . from her tail?!" Alec

"Mmhm."

"And you just took it?!"

"She bit a chunk out of my purple suede shoes, darling," Magnus explained. "Something needed to be done about her attitude."

Alec shook his head dejectedly. "You are mad," he concluded.

Magnus cocked his head. "You say this a lot," he frowned, pursing his lips. "Oh well, hardly matters. It's not like it's an insult anyway." He took the scale back from Alec's hand and examined it one last time before approaching the rock's edge. Alec watched curiously as the warlock raised his spare hand. He chanted something in Latin and flicked his fingers outwards, creating a massive explosion of blue that electrified the ocean as far as the eye could see.

When Alec stepped closer to the edge, he noticed the water directly beneath them was rippling. It then began to bubble and froth, almost angry looking. He could see something, moving beneath the surface of the water. A silhouette. Like a person floating beneath.

Two heads suddenly emerged from the water. A male and a female, both soaked through but not seeming to notice or care. They had slits in their necks, like gills, and their pupils were slitted into thin lines. Alec couldn't see much of them-they had only emerged from the shoulders up-but guessed that they were mermaids.

"I'll take that back," the female said, revealing a set of canines that only narrowly missed scraping her lips as she spoke.

"I don't think you will," Magnus replied, reaching blindly for Alec behind him and grabbing his wrist, giving him the responsibility of looking after the scale by pushing it into his hand. "Not until we get what we need to know."

"We don't do business with your kind, Bane," the male spat. "You have a duty to give us what's ours."

"I seem to recall having this for quite some time," said Magnus. "You never came looking for it, I've become legal owner through the rules of finders keepers."

"You did not find it," the female said impatiently. She flicked her wet, blonde hair away from her face and scowled. "You took it."

Magnus gasped dramatically. "I did?" he asked, acting shocked. "Well, I don't see you climbing over each other to buy me new shoes."

Alec vaguely wondered if this was the mermaid that Magnus had dated. She seemed to know him, as did her male accomplice, and they both held an animosity towards each other that had to have spawned from a relationship that ended messy. Alec assumed it was messy, since breaking up with someone because they smelled of seaweed wasn't something anyone wanted to hear.

"What do you want? Speak your business and we will consider aiding you," the female finally relented, spitting her words out as if they were made of acid.

Magnus smirked. "We want to know the ingredients to the spell that the Downworlders have been using to Mark themselves," he said.

The female's green gaze slid past Magnus and landed on Alec, her nose turning up in distaste. "Who's your . . . friend?" she asked, her voice guarded.

"Oh yes, how rude of me. This is my partner in crime, Alexander. Alexander, this is Laguna and her brother Caspian. Ignore the scathing looks, their family aren't exactly the most accommodating of units," Magnus explained.

"You are Alexander Lightwood," Laguna stated, her voice accusing. "Your parents were the reason the oceans were poisoned by Shadowhunters when we were children. We aren't even part of your ludicrous spat and we are still being punished for it." She glared at Magnus. "How dare you bring a Lightwood here!"

Alec was alarmed by this. He had high expectations on him because of his parents, however he had never been confronted by someone who had been wrongly done by them. He hadn't entertained the idea that his parents had been all round good people but he didn't think they would be responsible for such a large scale massacre. Especially not on beings that weren't even invested in the fight.

"Oh boo-hoo, cry me a river," Magnus said, cold as ice. "You can't blame a descendant for the behaviour of their ancestors. Trust me, if you could, you'd be hating me more than him. But let's not get into that, shall we? It's hardly any of your business who or what Alexander is. Just tell us about the spell."

"What makes you think we know?" Caspian immediately answered, his voice cool as the breeze and free of the wrath that his sister had held. He looked at Alec with pale green eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "We don't take part in your silly little war, remember?"

"The book was written with your style and materials," Magnus answered, his voice just as calm as the merman's. "Don't play games, now. Just tell us what we need to know and you'll get your little scale piece back."

Alec glanced at Magnus, the Shadowhunter in him wondering if he should intervene and try to interrogate them. But then, he'd never been good at the interrogation thing. It reminded him of the torture that the Shadowhunters claimed was 'interrogation'. So he hung back. He didn't want to put his foot in his mouth when Magnus seemed to know what he was doing anyways.

"It doesn't need ingredients," Laguna sighed, her eyebrows furrowed into a deep grimace.

"What does it need, then?" Magnus asked.

Laguna shook her head, her expression serious. "I cannot divulge that information, I'm sorry."

Magnus rolled his cat-like eyes and shrugged. "You know I'm not a fool. You aren't going to get your scale back until you tell us what we need to know."

Laguna and Caspian exchanged a look. Their eyes ping ponged from Alec, to Magnus, and back to Magnus again. "You shall regret this, Magnus Bane," she said. "We do not take kindly to blackmail and you will curse your very existence when you realize how much of a fool you've been."

"Oooooh, I'm quivering in my boots," Magnus replied. "Besides, I'm not blackmailing you. I'm simply trying to capture your attention by showing that I have something you want and am trying to use it to get the answers I need in exchange."

The merfolk stared at Magnus, both waiting for him to realize or admit that that was basically a description of blackmail. When it didn't come, and Magnus didn't back down, the two sank into the ocean, disappearing into the water below.

"That was very diplomatic," Alec said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Magnus muttered, taking the scale back from Alec and retreating to a safer part of the rocks. "At least we know that they do know about the spell."

Alec was watching Magnus, slightly amused by how ruffled the warlock's feathers were, when he heard the music. It was soft at first, like it was coming from a far distance. Alec spun 360 on his heel, wondering where the sound was coming from. He saw no sign of life, just the wind and the waves on the beach. He frowned. It was getting louder, like whoever was singing was getting closer.

Soon it was so loud that Alec almost covered his ears. "Can you hear that?!" he shouted to Magnus, who had begun working on a portal.

"I can't hear anything over these waves!" Magnus shouted back.

Then he obviously couldn't. The music had overpowered the waves and Alec was sure that it was coming from where they previously stood. He returned to the spot near the edge of the rocks, convinced he would find the source there. Except there was nothing. Just the black hole that was the water beneath. How strange. What was it then? What could it be? Alec hit his ears with the heel of his hand, mildly wondering if he was losing his mind. Maybe he'd breathed in too much of Magnus' magic fumes over the past day.

He was just about to return to Magnus when he saw it. A figure moving beneath the water again. Maybe Laguna and Caspian had changed their minds about helping. Alec wanted to turn and tell Magnus to come back over but he was glued to the spot. Almost hypnotized as the melody grew to unbearable volume. It was so beautiful, so lovely, he couldn't so much as turn away in case it affected the sound.

Caspian's blond head suddenly appeared, pushing out of the water slowly like he had done before, except this time only up as high as his neck. About a metre behind, Laguna appeared, breaking the surface of the water behind her brother and singing the song that had captivated Alec's attention. Her lips moved slowly, producing the complex notes that weren't words but music itself. Like she was a musical instrument producing the melody for the singer.

Caspian's green eyes captured Alec's, somehow capturing his attention and locking it there. Alec was mesmerized, a shudder fluttering through his being at the sheer beauty of the merfolk siblings. Caspian swam closer, Laguna following but keeping a good distance between them. Alec knelt down on the rocks, thinking that they were going to tell him something, maybe about the spell.

Instead, Caspian's hand broke through the surface of the water, extending an arm towards Alec. His hands were webbed and his fingernails were clawed, the water residue on his skin sparkling in the moonlight. The merman licked his teeth, revealing his razor sharp canines, and whispered two words.

"Join us."

The words were like a spell. Without thinking, at all, Alec reached out for Caspian's hand. Laguna's singing had grown too intense, so much so that Alec could not think straight or be rational. Caspian closed the distance, grabbing the Shadowhunter's hand and squeezing it tight. The sharp angles of the merman's face held an almost menacing shadow to them as his eyes darkened and he began to sink again.

Laguna stayed afloat, her singing having reached the point of ear shattering volume. Alec couldn't let go of Caspian's hand, he was so entranced by him and his sister's singing. Even as Caspian sank, Alec followed, leaning over the rocks so that he was looming over the hypnotizing merman. His eyes were glued to Caspian's, unable to break away for a second.

The sleeve of Alec's leather jacket skimmed the water's edge, both having fallen down to his wrists again during the conversation with the merfolk. Only Caspian's eyes were visible now, the rest of him having been submerged into the ocean again. Alec's lower body still lay on the rocks, his chest inches away from touching the water.

Having realized that Alec had gone surprisingly quiet, Magnus glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened at the sight of Alec looming over the rocks, clearly being enchanted into the water. "Alec, don't!" he shouted.

The sound of Magnus' voice snapped Alec out of his trance. Laguna cackled, the music stopping completely so she could do this, and Alec fully digested the situation he was in. His panicked eyes locked with Caspian's once more and the merman smirked, the gesture full of spite and evil. Magnus broke away from making the portal and ran to them, but he wouldn't make it in time.

Caspian gave Alec's hand a powerful yank. Alec's body was unbalanced on the rocks and, since he wasn't wearing a balance rune, could not save himself from toppling over the edge. Caspian dragged him down into the water, the impact of his body hitting the water creating a huge splash. "Alexander!" Magnus shouted, staggering to a stop as he reached the rock's edge. He searched the unsettled water frantically, trying to find a trace of Alec. There was none. Like the ocean was a portal and Alec had been transported to another place entirely.

In the distance, Laguna laughed. "You do not blackmail the merfolk," she purred. Without another word, she back flipped into the ocean, her tail flicking out of the water for a millisecond before disappearing again.

Magnus could still hear her laughter, long after she'd disappeared.


	9. Sympathiser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A different perspective: Isabelle grows concerned when Alec doesn't return him later that night and seeks out the help of Jace and Clary.

Isabelle stood in the hallway at one thirty in the morning, contemplating whether the twinge of worry in her gut was simply habitual or if something was actually wrong. Normally she'd brush it off, tell herself that she was being ridiculous and that paranoia came hand in hand with the life that she and her family led. However, she couldn't help the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that something was very, very wrong.

She'd called Hodge earlier that day to ask how he was. When the trivalent chit chat was out of the way, she proceeded to ask how Alec was doing. Hodge was confused, saying that he had no idea how Alec was because the last time he'd seen him was the last time the Lightwood Clan had come to visit. Meaning that Alec had lied to her about where he was going.

Isabelle worried about her brother constantly. It was second nature to her by this point. She feared for his life every time he went out to battle and prayed viciously to the angel for his safe return. So far, her prayers had been answered. However, it would only be a matter of time before their luck ran out.

Alec hadn't gone to battle again. He would have told her when he left. Alec was not an idiot and he knew not to lie to his sister about when he was going to fight. So if he hadn't gone to battle, where had he gone?

Isabelle marched down the corridor to Alec's room. To prove her sanity correct, she pushed the door open. It revealed an empty room. Covers untouched, pyjamas left on the floor, weapons and gear missing. And, when she had entered the house again earlier that evening, she had noticed that his bow and arrows were gone. He must have taken them with him where ever he had gone.

Upon entering his room, she noticed something on his sink. Since he had the attic room, Alec's sink was plumbed into the wall by the door. He had a toilet room through the next door but it could hardly be called an en suite, as it was literally only a toilet in a small hole of a room. Isabelle went to the sink and ran a manicured finger along the porcelain. When she lifted it again, her skin shimmered with . . . glitter?

Maybe it was just the blood from the fairies from the Battle at Warren Point. Isabelle knew that her brother scrubbed himself raw after battles. Maybe this was just some residue that had been left behind? Something didn't sit well with her. She knew something was wrong. All of these things couldn't just be coincidence. There was something that had to connect the dots together.

Isabelle stormed out of the room and thumped down the stairs. Her heels banged against the wooden floor, smashing in the silence of the night. Dead ahead was Jace and Clary's room, which she burst into without knocking.

Clary was sitting at the end of the bed, her head in her hands. Her orange hair shrouded her small shoulders and freckled face. By her feet was a pregnancy test. A negative pregnancy test. Jace was pacing the room, running his fingers through his hair and recklessly muttering to himself about how something had to be wrong. That something wasn't right.

They both stopped, however, upon Isabelle's arrival.

"Izzy?" asked Jace. "Why are you still up?"

"Alec isn't back," Isabelle stated. She only felt a little bad about interrupting them. She knew they were struggling to conceive, but they could try for a baby any time. Right now there was a more pressing issue. The whereabouts of her brother.

Jace's stance slackened. "He may have been called to battle again," he reminded her.

"Did you hear three horns? Because I damn well didn't!" Isabelle fired back.

"Maybe he just wanted time to himself," Clary suggested, her voice small as she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"After a three day battle?" Isabelle asked. "I doubt it! He slept for nearly a week after the twenty four hour attack of the Los Angeles Institute! This was three days, he's hardly going to be bouncing around the streets of Idris contemplating life and the universe!"

Jace's expression darkened. "Maybe he's been called for Duty Leave," he said.

Isabelle's eyes narrowed. "Impossible," she said. "He's not due for another few months."

"They can call people in early"-

"No!" Isabelle snapped. "They can't and they won't."

Forcing Alec into Duty Leave terrified Isabelle. She knew about him. About his . . . feelings. She knew he was gay. He couldn't hide anything from her, she knew him too well. The thought of being forced into having sex with a woman when he was clearly not . . . not into that type of thing was . . . preposterous! Isabelle wished she could protect him from it but the Clave wasn't as understanding or accepting as she was. Nor where they going to take kindly to the fact that he was gay, if they were to ever find out. He may even be executed for it . . .

Isabelle shook her head. She couldn't think about that.

"I found glitter in his sink," she said.

"Fairy blood?" asked Clary.

"No," Isabelle answered. "It's not the right consistency. It's something else."

Jace frowned, noticing how Isabelle was holding her hand out. He walked over and grabbed her hand, examining the glitter poisoned finger curiously. "You're right. It's not fairy blood," he said.

"Then what is it?" Isabelle insisted. "And why is it in Alec's sink?"

Jace wove around Isabelle and jumped up the stairs two at a time to reach Alec's bedroom. He immediately went to the sink, where some of the glitter still remained. Clary couldn't follow as fast, the exhaustion of having to have sex with Jace every night taking its toll. Isabelle waited for Clary at the top of the stairs, trying not to seem impatient by tapping her foot or chewing on her lip.

Clary finally made it to Alec's room and knelt down beside the sink. Isabelle paced behind the pair, chewing on her knuckle anxiously. "It's . . . costume glitter," Clary said.

"What glitter?" asked Jace.

"Costume," Clary clarified. She dipped her fingers into the sink, dragging her fingers along the porcelain so catch some of the glitter. "Mundanes would wear it to parties as an accessory. They wear is as make up or use it as a gel in their hair. Why would Alec have costume glitter stuck in his sink?"

"Trying out new fashion?" Jace joked, not putting much enthusiasm into the jibe.

"I don't like this," Isabelle declared.

"Me neither," Jace admitted.

"Can you tell anything?" asked Clary. "I don't know . . . Parabatai bonding and stuff?"

"We're Parabatai, not psychics," Jace sighed. He wanted to be able to do something. He hated being helpless. But they were at a dead end and the investigation had barely started. Who did the glitter belong to and why was it in Alec's sink, of all places?

Clary heaved herself to her feet, swaying a little with fatigue. She staggered to Alec's bed and grabbed the bedpost, her small hand clenched around the metal tight to hold her weight. Jace followed her, concerned about her welfare, but when he tried to help her sit, she waved him off flippantly. "Clary?" he asked, slightly hurt.

Clary's eyes were squeezed tight. "Get me a stele, now!" she barked.

Isabelle flicked her leg up, catching her stele from where it stuck out of her boot. She passed it over to Clary, who caught Isabelle's wrist and dragged her closer. The redhead blindly placed the stele on Isabelle's arm and drew out a brand new rune. Slightly apprehensive, Isabelle watched Clary draw. She could only hope that the rune was useful and not something stupid like 'infinite ability to boil eggs perfectly'.

"Um, Clary, what are you doing?" Jace asked.

Normally, when Clary envisioned a new rune, she would sketch it out on paper first before trying it out on anyone. It seemed, however, that she did not believe that there was time for that because she was carving it into Isabelle immediately. "No time," Clary muttered. "Can't lose the image."

"But what is it going to do?" Jace insisted.

Clary lifted the stele, the glow it created flickering out as the rune was completed. She looked to her partner, hand still clutching Izzy's arm. "It will help her see," she said.

Isabelle gasped as the rune glowed bright red. She stumbled backwards into the wall, sliding to the floor as images bombarded her mind. Alec climbing in through his bedroom window, hand covered with glitter. Scrubbing at it for hours over the sink and eventually covering it with a glove because it wouldn't wash away. Climbing back out the window at dawn, before curfew was over. Returning hours later with a man. A man covered with glitter who was hiding himself from the view of the normal eye.

A Warlock.

A Downworlder.

Alec was a sympathizer.

Isabelle tried to push the images away but they wouldn't cease, not until every thought and feeling her brother had experienced in the past twenty four hours in this room passed through her brain. No, he wasn't a sympathizer. He was trying to save Idris. Downworlders . . . they were marking themselves. Infiltrating Idris. The warlock-Magnus Bane-knew how to help. Alec was going with him to try to figure out why, why they were doing this.

Alec fancied the warlock. He thought he was attractive. More than that . . . Unbearably hot . . . Isabelle felt her face dampen as the feelings of dread and hatred slowly filled her, how her brother scolded himself so harshly for feeling this way about another man. It was nothing to do with the fact that Magnus was a Downworlder, it was the fact that he was a man and Alec fancied him. Alec hated himself for it.

Thankfully, the images stopped when Alec and Magnus left the room again. Isabelle was a quivering ball, her hands clutching her hair desperately. Her face was damp, with tears still slipping from her eyes. Clary and Jace stood side by side, staring at her with horror.

"I didn't mean to cause you pain," Clary quickly said.

Isabelle shook her head, slowly uncurling from her foetal position on the floor. "Alec . . . he's . . . he's with a Downworlder," she whispered.

Jace straightened. "Has he been kidnapped?" he demanded to know.

Isabelle shook her head again. "No," she murmured. "He went willingly."

Both Jace and Clary looked confused. "But . . . he wouldn't! He's not a . . . he wouldn't be a . . ." Jace stumbled over his words, trying to find a decent string of sentences to make sense of what Isabelle had just told him. "You're wrong!" he finally blurted out childishly.

"I'm not wrong," Isabelle answered.

"Alec wouldn't cohort with Downworlders!" Jace shouted. "He knows what they've done to us! What they've done to our families, our friends!" Clary stepped back, knowing that she couldn't comment on this. She didn't know Alec like Jace and Isabelle did and was well aware of her lack of right to have an input in such a matter. "He knows they're scum, he wouldn't just run away with one of them!"

Isabelle shook her head. "Downworlders are here, now, in Idris," she explained. "They've somehow gained an ability to mark themselves and hide . . . Some Warlock . . . Magnus Bane . . . he claimed to know how to help," she said. "And Alec believed him."

"The idiot!" Jace ranted. "I bet that Warlock captured him! We'll have a ransom note on our doorstep soon! Downworlders marking themselves, can you believe it? I can't believe Alec believed such a ludicrous story!"

"But . . . it's true," Isabelle said, heaving herself to her feet and leaning against the wall. "Alec saw them for himself. He saw the Downworlders walking our streets before they were marked. I saw it myself, just now."

Clary, who had been silent until now, stepped forward again. "I know him," she said. "Magnus Bane, I mean. Before I met you guys, and my mum tried to hide me from the war, she hired Magnus Bane to wipe my memories and blur my sight."

Jace looked disgusted by this. "Your mother sought out the help of a Downworlder?" he spat the last word, like it were slime on his tongue.

"Not all of them are evil, Jace!" Clary fired back. "Despite what you like to believe! Saying that all of them are evil is like saying that all Shadowhunters are good. Which is bullshit. My father is evidence enough of that, my brother too!"

Jace stiffened at the mention of Clary's father and brother. They had been banished by the Clave for turning just about anyone into Nephilim with the aid of the Mortal Cup, which they had stolen for their own greedy gain. "I believe what I can see and all I see of the Downworlders is Shadowhunters' blood on their hands," he said.

"What about the captured Warlocks?" Isabelle asked the floor. "Whose blood is on their hands as we force them to open portals for us?"

The room fell silent. Isabelle didn't believe that Alec would simply go with a Downworlder without good reason, or without trusting that they were not at all evil or a danger to him. Despite everything, as well, the way Magnus had made her brother's heart flutter in his chest like a butterfly made her hope to the Angel that the Warlock was good. Because if he wasn't, and he abused Alec's emotions at all, then she would hunt the bastard down to the ends of the earth and slice his glittery head off with her whip.

"This is bullshit," Jace declared. He charged out of the room and thudded down the stairs before slamming his bedroom door shut. Not loud enough to wake Max but enough to let Clary and Isabelle know that he was not happy with their behaviour.

"I'm going to find Alec," Isabelle declared, moving to head down the stairs too.

"It's nearly two in the morning!" Clary exclaimed.

"I don't care, my brother could be in danger," Isabelle replied. She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked over her shoulder. "Will the new rune work again if I reach a spot he's been at?" she asked.

"I presume so," said Clary.

Isabelle nodded and turned around again. As she was about to step down onto the first stair, Clary said, "Wait!" When Isabelle paused, the redheaded girl continued, "I'm coming with you. Let me get changed and we'll do this together."

"Why should you want to? You're weak and it's not like you like my brother all that much," Isabelle replied.

"I care about your brother, Izzy," Clary said firmly, placing her hand firmly on Isabelle's shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. "And even if I didn't, I'm not a monster. I don't want to see him kidnapped and possibly tortured by a Warlock. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I want to help. Who knows, maybe more runes will come to mind when we're searching. More that could help."

Isabelle nodded, thankful for Clary's help. "Just bring a pen and paper this time, okay?" she asked.

Clary laughed but nodded. "Of course."


	10. Salt Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec is in the clutches of the vengeful merfolk siblings, Laguna and Caspian. Can Magnus reach him before they fulfill their sick agenda against the Shadowhunter?

Alec could swim, that wasn't his problem. Hodge taught him to swim when he was ten because, as a Shadowhunter, you had to be prepared for every possible scenario. Alec had thought he was always prepared for every possible scenario. However, this had never came to mind. He had believed that he would someday have to deal with the mer-folk, as the war caused you to happen upon every form of Downworlder. What he didn't expect, was to be kidnapped by the mer-folk and held hostage as bait for Magnus.

It had been too long and he couldn't breathe. Caspian had been ignoring him for ages now, simply talking with Laguna in the depths of the ocean. Alec wasn't sure how they got him so far down but where-ever he looked, he saw nothing. He could only vaguely make out Caspian and Laguna, as the night sky reflecting in the water caused his surroundings to be completely immersed in blackness. He wouldn't be able to make his way back, he would get lost and very likely get washed out too far. Staying put was the best option. He just hoped it wouldn't be his downfall.

His lungs were beginning to burn. It was hard to focus on staying afloat and making sure you didn't gasp for breathe, and Alec was beginning to struggle. Soon, he would have no choice. His body's natural instinct for survival would kick in and he would open his mouth and gasp for oxygen, which would only result in water rushing in and killing him.

Laguna must have noticed Alec's face turning purple or something as she nudged Caspian and pointed. Her brother looked in Alec's direction and cringed. The merman swam over and cocked his head. Then, to Alec's horror and complete shock, pressed his mouth against his.

It wasn't a kiss, thankfully. Caspian forced Alec's mouth open and breathed air into him, filling his lungs with oxygen and relieving his struggle. Relief flooded Alec and he gasped gratefully, realizing that he could breathe underwater now.

"If you drowned on us it would defeat the entire purpose," Caspian sighed. The way he spoke, you wouldn't think he was underwater. His voice was not distorted or broken. It was as languid and seductive as it had been when Laguna and he spoke to them above the surface.

Now that Alec could breathe, he could focus on other things. He kicked back from Caspian, able to propel himself away with the aid of the water, and loaded his bow. Most of his arrows had fallen from his quiver and floated off in the ocean but a few remained. "Entire purpose of what?" he demanded, surprised that he, too, could easily speak like Caspian had done.

Laguna joined her brother, face seeming to be set into a permanent scowl. Alec was able to see their tails now. Long, sleek and green, the fins at the very end moving only the slightest of bits to keep them afloat. "We wish to hurt Magnus, the same way he hurt me," she said.

"You're still hung up on that?" Alec glowered. He didn't know much about relationships but someone who was still hung up about a break up after so long had to be crazy in some shape or form.

"Of course I am!" Laguna barked back. "I loved him!"

Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Love. It got people into more trouble than it was worth. He looked down. The ocean remained a bottomless pit beneath him. He didn't know how much farther the ground was but it seemed a long way off. Any father down and his body wouldn't have been capable of handling the pressure. Maybe that was why Laguna and Caspian stopped here.

"But now we will take his lover from him and make him ours!" Laguna cackled.

Alec's head snapped up. His blue eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened around his bow. "I'm not his lover," he said.

"Like we believe that," Caspian spat angrily. "Magnus has a weakness for men like you, the tension between you is so palpable it's disgusting."

Alec was at a loss for words. How do you even respond to something like that?

"Not to mention that Magnus likes to rebel," Laguna added. "Dating a Shadowhunter, indeed. It's so revolting it makes me feel sick just to think about it."

"We're not dating. I literally only met him yesterday!" Alec exclaimed. And he's gotten me into enough trouble to last a lifetime! He shook his head, wanting to move on from this particular part of the conversation. "So, what? Are you going to eat me? Make me fish food for you and your pals? Don't expect me not to go down fighting."

Caspian rolled his green eyes, expression is clear boredom. "We are not going to eat you," he said.

Alec blinked. He briefly wondered why his eyes didn't sting. Maybe it had something to do with the literal kiss of life he'd received from Caspian. "Then . . . what?" he asked, confused. Caspian edged forward and Alec straightened his arm so that the tip of his arrow was trained at the merman's heart. "Don't even think about it."

"Your arrows will not move fast enough in the water," Laguna smirked. "Besides, you cannot harm the merfolk while underwater. The water heals us, protects us from delinquents like you."

A part of Alec had already known this. It was obvious that when he shot an arrow, it would simply fall off his bow because he was underwater. However, he had vaguely hoped that Laguna and Caspian did not know this. It was a vain hope, since the merfolk obviously knew more about the water than he probably did and had known all along that his arrows were useless.

"Then what?" Alec repeated, holding his bow in the exact same position as a means of comfort.

"Didn't Magnus tell you?" Laguna asked, cocking her head with faux innocence. "I thought I heard him explaining it to you before Caspian and I rose from the water . . ."

"He did. He said that you eat your unattractive captives because they don't have the power to seduce others into the ocean and then you"-Alec stopped short. His feet stilled for a moment, no longer trying to keep him floating as shock embezzled his system. He only noticed that he stopped when he began to sink, and quickly thrust himself upwards again. "Surely you're not going to try to"-

"Indeed," Caspian hummed, flicking his blond hair out of his eyes. "I doubt we'll be finished by the time Magnus locates us-which is kind of disappointing-but as long as we scare him enough to return Laguna's scale then everything should be just fine."

"And you'll let me go?" If that was the case, Alec would just tell Magnus that the blackmail was useless and that he should just give Laguna her scale back to end this silly spat. Alec was not willing to be turned into some freaky, hybrid Shadowhunter-Merman.

"I don't know," Laguna replied. She pushed forward, scowling at the tip of Alec's arrow before nudging it out of her way. "We could find use for you, Alexander Lightwood. Black hair and blue eyes has always been a favourable combination. The men you could seduce to our waters . . . the feasts we could have together as a family . . . It would be magnificent."

"Men?" Despite being able to speak and breathe while under the water, Alec almost choked. "Why men?"

"We are alluring to the humans we preference," said Caspian, sounding confused.

"How do you know I prefer . . . that?"

"Well . . . you fell under Caspian's spell. Not mine," Laguna answered, smug to discover that she had obviously struck a nerve within the Shadowhunter. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief as she pressed, "I simply aided him with my singing. It was his hand you took that led you here."

"Doesn't mean I'm"-

"Of course it does," Laguna was deliberately pushing buttons now, the nauseatingly sweet smirk on her face making this clear. "That's how our spells work. Or are you still in denial? I don't blame you, the Shadowhunters are closed minded idiots. I'd be hiding if I were you too. I'd be terrified, even."

"I am not having this conversation with you," Alec snapped, using his bow to push Laguna back a couple of inches. Her tail brushed up against his leg and he pushed back further, knowing that if he got too close to either of them, he was in danger of falling under their spell again. His heart pounded in his chest like a hammer smashing away a wall.

"Would you like to have it with Caspian? He has been known to bring closet boys out of their shells more," Laguna teased.

Her taunting was winding Alec up. Normally, he could be very calm. He had to be when he had a parabatai like Jace, who taunted and teased at every opportunity. Usually it was very easy. Many things that would have people tearing their hair out made him shrug with indifference. But his sexuality had always been a tender subject and he was not willing to talk about it with mer-folk siblings who kidnapped him.

"I don't want to be one of you," Alec hissed.

Laguna raised her eyebrows. "Oh, so you're like that, are you? Very into your racial purity, huh?"

"What? No! It's just . . . I'm a Shadowhunter! Besides, you two are evil. Who wants to be turned by something evil?" Alec snapped back. "I don't trust either of you."

"It's not just about Magnus," Caspian finally admitted.

Alec looked at the merman with a confused frown. "What's it about then?" he demanded to know.

"Imagine the ramifications a hybrid would have on the war," Laguna explained. "It might connect us . . . "

"It could destroy us as well," Caspian admitted. "But there is a good chance that if we turn a Shadowhunter-like you-into one of us and make them a hybrid of both sides of the war then we stand a chance of ending it all."

"Your family name would help the cause greatly. Your social standing in the Shadowhunter world makes you invaluable. They would bust a nut trying to figure out a way to fix what's been done to you. Which could result in peace," Laguna continued. "You wouldn't be turned into a fully-fledged version of us-that would defeat the purpose of being a hybrid-but we can turn people into the Little Mermaid as well, growing legs whenever they choose."

"You wouldn't have to do duty leave," Caspian tempted. "They would be too worried about your offspring being tainted."

Alec barely comprehended what they were trying to tell him. A hybrid? Were they trying to say that they wanted to turn him into part Shadowhunter, part . . . Downworlder? Was that sort of thing even possible? It would certainly cause confusion in relation to the war. Alec didn't think that they were right in thinking that they would try to save him, though. If the Shadowhunters found out that he had been tainted by mer-folk, then they would kill him. Simple as.

"You don't know what you're saying," Alec said. "They wouldn't save me, I'd be executed. The Shadowhunters aren't the way they were when my parents were alive, they've evolved into something . . . into something more dangerous than you could possibly imagine . . ."

Caspian's green eyes flashed with mirth and he pushed in front of Laguna, as if Alec's admission was his way of telling them that he was going to attack at any given moment. "In the end, it hardly matters," said Caspian. "If you die at the hands of your own people it will not affect us. However, there is the slightest of chances that our plan will work, so we're willing to try."

"There's no chance it will work!" Alec shouted. "You don't know my people! They hate Downworlders, I'm sorry but it's true! Not only will they kill me, they'll most likely poison your waters again for attempting to make a hybrid in the first place!"

Caspian's nails curled around Laguna's arm, holding so tight it drew blood. The blue blood ran down her arm, dripping off her fingers and floating upwards. "It's a risk we're willing to take," he said.

Alec knew his only option was to run. Or . . . swim. He lurched forward, kicking with his feet in one almighty push to give himself enough momentum, and jammed the tip of his bow through Laguna's eye. Laguna screamed, blood exploding from her face like a mushroom cloud.

"Laguna!" Caspian roared with rage. He tried to grab Alec but the Shadowhunter was too fast. He ducked underneath the merman's arms and jammed the arrow that had been attached to his quiver into Caspian's side. This caused more blood to pour out, polluting the water around them.

Caspian screamed in agony and wretched the arrow out. He lunged at Alec, wrapping his arms around the Shadowhunter's neck. Laguna was in too much pain to help, her webbed hands trembling as she tried to staunch the blood coming from her eyes. Caspian's arms tightened around Alec's neck and jabbed his fingernails into his throat, thus breaking whatever spell he had cast before to help him breathe.

Alec gasped as all oxygen left his body. Water rushed in, a mixture of H2O and the sibling's blood. It filled up his lungs, creating an agonizing burn in his chest and throat. Alec struggled against Caspian, kicking back with whatever strength remained. He reached behind himself and grabbed the merman's head, his thumbs finding Caspian's eyes. He pushed against them, hard enough to cause the merman to let go and push him away.

Alex shut his mouth and kicked off, swimming away as fast as his waning strength would allow. He knew that Caspian and Laguna could outswim him any day but he hoped that their pause to assess their injuries would give him enough time to escape.

He was wrong.

Caspian's hand wrapped around his ankle and tried to drag him back. Alec flipped around and kicked the merman up the chin. Droplets of blood flew from Caspian's mouth but he dug his nails into Alec's ankle to ensure he kept a strong hold on him. Alec's inability to breathe was causing his strength to fade, fast. Black spots were already tainting the edges of his vision.

Alec forced himself to keep conscious. He clenched his fists and threw himself backwards, wrenching his ankle from Caspian's unsuspecting grasp. It was easier to backflip in the water and didn't take up as much energy as it would have done on land. Alec was able to flip himself backwards and push himself away from Caspian before the merman could fully comprehend what had happened.

However, Alec's body had begun to seize up from the lack of oxygen. He couldn't move without feeling like he was moving a tonne weight on each limb. Caspian hissed at him, looking deranged and feral as his eyes turned to black slits and his canines turned blue with blood.

"You're ours now, Alexander Lightwood!" Caspian growled.

"Alec, duck!"

Alec spun around and felt his heart rise in his chest at the sight of Magnus, floating in the water a couple of metres ahead. His hands were glowing blue, a blue that stood out against everything else under the water. Alec did as he was told and swerved underneath Magnus, using one final push to propel himself underneath the warlock just as he shot a column of magic at the livid Caspian.

The magic hit Caspian square in the chest, throwing him backwards into his sister, who had just overcome the shock of having her eye stabbed out and had been coming to help. "Caspian!" she screamed, grabbing at her brother desperately and trying to see if he was dead or not.

"Quick, Alec, while they're distracted," Magnus said, grabbing Alec's hand.

Alec was surprised when he tightened his fingers around Magnus'. He was comforted by the warlock's hand in his, like it was assurance that everything was going to be okay. However, it was not enough to help him gain back his strength, and his body was so heavy, he didn't think he could move an inch without passing out.

"You've turned purple," Magnus noted. He pressed his fingers against Alec's jugular, fingers turning bright blue as they opened his airways and allowed him to breathe again. Alec gasped, thankful to be given the gift of oxygen, something he noted to never abuse again.

Magnus slung Alec's arm over his neck and used his magic to propel them to the surface before Caspian gained his inhibitions again. Magnus dragged Alec to the sand and let him lie there for a moment or two, gasping in the salty sea air around them.

Alec crawled as far from the water as he could manage, as if Caspian or Laguna were going to suddenly lunge out and drag him under again. His arms gave out and he lay face first in the sand, like a beached whale. Magnus sat on the sand by his head, flicking his coat out from underneath him so it didn't get coated in it. Somehow, the warlock was not wet in the slightest.

"What did they want?" Magnus asked as Alec rolled onto his back. The sky was still completely black, with only small dots of light spilling through in the form of stars.

"To get back at you." Speaking was a struggle and Alec took a coughing fit, his throat so raw each word felt like a fresh scrape on his oesophagus. "And to . . . m-m-m-m-make a h-h-hybrid."

Magnus pulled a face. "You're in pain," he stated.

Alec tried to wave him off but started coughing again. Magnus leaned forward and listened to Alec's test. He winced at how raspy the Shadowhunter's breath had become. He wedged his hand between Alec's body and the sand, causing the younger boy to jump up in surprise. Magnus held back a smile and removed the boy's stele from his back pocket.

"Apply a healing rune," he said, pressing the stele into Alec's hand.

The stele fell out of Alec's hand, his fingers too weak to even clutch it. Alec scowled and tried to heave himself off the sand, only to fall back onto the sand with a heavy thump. Magnus winced. "Give me a minute," said the stubborn boy, closing his eyes and fighting to regain some form of strength.

"Would you like some help?" asked Magnus.

"No," Alec muttered. "I can do it."

"It's alright to ask for help."

"Not when it's me, it's not."

Magnus frowned. "Why's that?"

Alec ignored the question and dug his fingers into the sand. When he tried to heave his body up off the sand once again, his body protested and he took another coughing fit. He fell onto his back, his chest jerking as he coughed violently into the night air. Magnus knew what was wrong. There was water trapped in his system, somehow.

"Stop being a baby and let me help," Magnus ordered.

Alec glared at the warlock. "I can look after myself."

"I'm not questioning your ability of caring for yourself." Magnus clicked his fingers, causing blue sparks to fly from his fingertips. He stroked his fingers down Alec's neck to the middle of his chest, smiling when the Shadowhunter's body relaxed and his breathing eased. "Asking for help is not a weakness, you know."

Alec rolled his eyes. "I could have done this myself, I just needed a minute."

"Oh, of course," Magnus replied sarcastically. "You're a strong, independent Shadowhunter who don't need no Warlock's help."

Alec lifted himself up, balancing his weight on his elbows. He looked at Magnus' hand, which was laid out flat on his chest, glowing baby blue in the dark blackness of the night. He knew he shouldn't be so frosty about asking for help but sometimes it was difficult trying to come to terms with admitting that he can't be the one who is independent all the time. He had to be the one who protected the others, meaning he had to learn to protect himself as well. Relying on others was just asking to be let down. And Alec wasn't prepared to be let down.

"Thank you," he said. "For saving me. I'd have died back there if you hadn't shown up."

"It was nothing, darling, really," Magnus smiled.

"You didn't have to go after them," Alec pressed. "You could have left me there and nobody would have blamed you."

"I would have," Magnus corrected. "Now try to relax while I"-He frowned-"Alexander, did you consume anything besides the water?"

"There might have been a mixture of Caspian and Laguna's blood in the water, why?" Alec frowned.

Magnus stared at his hand, which remained still on top of Alec's chest. "You mentioned a hybrid?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. Caspian and Laguna believe that if there's a hybrid that's part Downworlder, part Shadowhunter, it could end the war," Alec explained. "It's ridiculous, though. If the Shadowhunters thought there was a hybrid in the making, they'd have them executed on the spot. Or maybe torture them or hold them captive. A hybrid won't solve our problems. Why?"

Magnus' face had paled considerably. He removed his hand from Alec's chest, the blue flickering off like a light switched to 'off'. "This isn't good," he said.

Alec couldn't help feeling panicked. Magnus would never admit to something being off. Usually he'd put on a sarcastic front, laugh a little, sure. But flat out admit something was wrong? No . . . "What's wrong?" Alec asked.

Magnus' cat like eyes met Alec's, filled with sympathy and a twinge of panic. He swallowed hard. "You can't digest merfolk blood. Not when you're in their domain. It wouldn't be enough to turn you completely into them but it would be enough to . . . to . . ." His expression was grim as he fell back onto his heels and stared at Alec in horror. "I think they just got their hybrid."


	11. A Hybrid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabelle and Clary track Alec and Magnus to the spot where they exited Idris. Meanwhile, the change has already begun to set in for Alec after the attack by Laguna and Caspian.

Isabelle took another vision, courtesy of Clary's rune, in the alleyway across from her house. Alec and Magnus left through there, by a portal Magnus conjured himself. From what she could see, Alec had not, in any way, been captured. In fact, Magnus didn't lay a hand on him. The way they spoke to each other put Isabelle in mind of a bickering couple, actually.

Once she'd relayed this back to Clary, the small red head noticed a burn mark in the ground. The sign of a portal having sat there.

"So they could be anywhere," Isabelle deflated.

"Afraid so," Clary muttered. She ran a hand through her hair and tried to think of a solution. "It's not like we can even go to the Clave. Portal Burns aren't anything new. I can easily see them brushing it off, claiming that it probably remained from the last time the Shadowhunters had to be transported to Battle by one of their prisoners."

"Fuckers," Isabelle cursed. She pressed her palms against the alley wall and inhaled, forcing herself to keep her emotions in order. Isabelle was normally a very collected girl. She had a strong will and didn't let many things bother her. However, her one and only weakness was her family. Anyone who messed with her family were asking for a death sentence.

"Alec can look after himself," Clary reminded her, trying to be helpful in some way.

The early morning darkness was freezing cold but Isabelle barely felt a chill. The heels of her boots echoed in the enclosed space as she tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. "I know," she ground out. "But I can't trust that Magnus guy. Not until I've met him myself and know will absolute certainty that he is not a threat to my brother."

"But I said"-Clary began.

"I know what you said," Isabelle replied. "And I'm not calling you a liar. However, my brother could potentially be in danger. Maybe not from Magnus but from other Downworlders. That's why we never travel alone outside of Idris or our Institutes. A Shadowhunter gets tangled with Downworlders? They'll be torn apart. Or worse . . ."

Clary rubbed her arms, even though she was wearing three layers of clothes on top of them. "Worse . . . ?" she prompted.

"I don't know," Isabelle admitted, her expression grave. "But it can't be good. Not where the Downworlders-the bad apples, that is-are concerned. They'd try anything to win this war."

Clary shivered, her teeth beginning to chink together. Not from the cold but from the implications of Isabelle's words. The Downworlders had magic and trickery on their sides, hence why they had gained such a huge advantage over the years. They were capable of much more than the Shadowhunters in terms of what they could attempt to do to their captives. The Shadowhunters tried to make up for it by taking their torture to the extreme but no amount of beating could ever match the wave of a warlock's hand, no matter how hard they tried.

"Someday you and I will have to barge into Downworlders' homes for no good reason and slaughter them," Isabelle murmured. "All in the name of this stupid war." She looked at Clary with a sadness in her dark eyes. "At least you have Jace. Someday I will have to go on duty leave with whoever I'm matched with as well, because I'm single."

"You could try to find someone?" Clary suggested.

Isabelle shook her head. "No," she answered plainly. "It's fine, though. I accepted that. I thought, 'fine, screw you Clave but fine, I'll follow your damn rules.' I have done that sort of thing many times-I am far, far, far from pure-but then you . . . then you have my brother who . . . who . . ."

"Who's gay?" Clary asked gently.

Isabelle exhaled and pushed away from the wall. "I would fight the entire Clave and whoever else wants to get in my way if it meant protecting Alec and who he is."

Clary stepped closer to Isabelle and hugged her. Isabelle was much taller than her in her heeled boots but Clary just pushed up onto her toes. "I know," the red head sighed. Isabelle wasn't much for affection, with Alec and Max as easy exceptions, but she was grateful for Clary's understanding.

When Clary let go and stepped back, Isabelle noticed something. Clary's hand was against her stomach, as if she were concerned about a . . . about a baby. "Are you . . . ?"

"I don't know," Clary murmured, eyes falling to her stomach. "The tests say no but . . . but I've been feeling something recently."

"Does Jace know?" Isabelle asked, eyes wide with shock.

"Does Jace know what?"

The girls jumped in surprise. Clary spun around to the end of the alleyway, where Jace had appeared and was now approaching them. "Where's Max?" Isabelle demanded.

"The Loregoods are looking after him. I just said that you, Clary and I had matters to attend to," Jace answered. He looked to Clary and raised his eyebrows. "Do I know what?"

"Nothing," Clary answered. "It doesn't matter. What are you doing here?"

Jace sighed and brushed his blond hair back from his eyes. "I don't like Downworlders," he stated. "Alec, however, is my brother and if he is in danger then I want to help. I'm not going to sit on my ass and do nothing. No way."

Isabelle should have expected that kind of attitude from Jace. "The more the merrier," she said flatly. "Except for one problem: I have no idea where to begin this search."

As if luck were shining down on them, or the odds just decided to swing in their favour, a portal reopened in the exact same spot it had done before. It further charred the Portal Burn on the ground, roasting it practically to dust. The three jumped back, saving themselves from being bumped into by a frantic Alec, who charged out of the blue abyss like he was on fire. He was closely followed by the warlock, Magnus Bane, who seemed to be in a lot less of a hurry than his partner in crime.

In person, Magnus was an extremely bright character. Isabelle had a glimpse of his looks and fashion sense through her visions but it did not prepare her for the extravagance of his actual presence. Even in the three o'clock dark, he stood out like a shiny new penny. Sparkles of glitter shimmering off his skin as if he used the stuff as an exfoliator. He was hot, Isabelle could understand her brother's attraction, however she feared what he was capable of. What he could do with a simple flick of his wrist.

"Alec!" Isabelle exclaimed, causing the older boy to jump with surprise. The collar of his jacket was pulled up to engulf his neck, making him look quite comical. He had almost walked past them, he was in that much of a hurry. "Where the hell have you been?"

Alec looked stunned to have ran into them, stepping backwards in the direction of the portal, almost of if he was afraid of them. "What are you doing here?" he asked apprehensively.

"No, no, no," Jace said, golden eyes trained only on Alec. Isabelle was immensely grateful for this as she knew that he was trying not to pick a fight with Magnus until he knew for sure what was happening by focusing his attention entirely on Alec. "You are the one who disappeared. You explain to us what happened."

"Would you believe me if I said I got lost?" Alec asked weakly.

Isabelle smacked him, her anger having reached a peak point. "Don't ever scare me like that again!" she snapped.

"Scare you? I told you"-

"Don't you mean lied?" Isabelle interrupted.

Alec sighed, exhaustion clearly having weighed him down. "How did you find out?" he asked.

"It looks like My Little Pony threw up in your sink," Clary answered. Her eyes fell on the black glove covering Alec's hand. It was fingerless but his hands were clenched into tight fists, like he was trying to hide something.

"And you're not exactly the type to use glitter." Isabelle's gaze slid past Alec and onto Magnus. "I presume it was yours."

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "I can assure you I did not throw up in Alexander's sink," he said. "However, what you describe does sound similar to the glitter I use." He examined his fingernails, each one detailed with their own individual smattering of glitter. "I must have shed some when I was"-Alec shot him a sharp look and Magnus paused, a frown etching onto his face as he tried to come up with a feasible excuse without exposing that he had been in Alec's room.

"We know you were in his room together," Isabelle said, deciding it best to relieve them of having to lie again.

While Alec was horrified and frankly embarrassed that his sister knew this, Magnus' catlike eyes sparkled a little with interest. "The rune, on your arm," he said. "It's not in the book, am I right?"

Alec grabbed Isabelle's arm and pushed her sleeve up, exposing the rune Clary had created an hour prior. It wasn't as dark as it had been when it was first drawn but it was still very clear on Isabelle's skin. "What does this do?" he asked Clary.

Alec had never been fond of Clary using anyone but himself as a tester for the runes she envisioned. A lot of the time Clary saw patterns but wouldn't know what they did until she drew them. Alec never wanted Isabelle to be used as a test subject for new runes, especially when they didn't know what they were.

"It helped me see," Isabelle said, pulling her away to stop him fretting. "I saw everything that happened in your room. Everything that happened in this spot."

Shaking his head, Alec exhaled and accepted that there was no talking out of this. "Um, Magnus, this is my sister Isabelle, my brother Jace and his girlfriend Clary," he said with a twinge of resignation in his voice.

"I know Clary very well," Magnus grinned, sounding nostalgic. Clary smiled back at him, as if she had been greeted by an old friend.

"Stop trying to change the subject," Jace said. "Care to explain why you're wandering around with a warlock, Alec?"

Alec opened his mouth but no words came out. He shut it again and floundered, unable to think of what to say. Instead, Magnus stepped in, "Alexander is helping me with important matters. Matters than I'm sure you wouldn't believe if I told you, since I'm sure you've convinced yourself that all I'll have to say is lies."

"It's the Downworlders marking themselves, isn't it?" Clary asked.

Magnus nodded. "It is, indeed."

Jace, unconvinced, kept probing. "Why would you help us? You're a warlock, a Downworlder, you're not one of us. How do we know that you're not just trying to integrate with us and then report back to your people about our strengths and weaknesses?"

"Magnus wouldn't do that," Alec said.

Jace looked at his brother incredulously. "How do you know?" he asked. "You barely know this guy. He's been with you for what? A day? And you're already defending him?!"

Alec tugged the collar of his jacket further up, if that were possible, and folded his arms tightly across his chest. "He saved me," he muttered. "From some merfolk. He could have left me but he didn't. If he were really trying to integrate he would have left me for dead and tried to find someone else."

Magnus laid a hand on Alec's shoulder, ignoring the glare it earned from Jace, and asked in a quiet voice, "Do you want to tell them or should I?"

"No," Alec murmured. "If you tell them Jace will try to wring in your neck."

"Tell us what?" asked Isabelle with a frown.

Alec closed his eyes and huffed, reluctant to say anything at all. He turned his back on them, to face the portal. Uncurling his hands, so that the others couldn't see, he stared at them miserably. Over the course of the hours it had taken for himself and Magnus to rest after the encounter with Caspian and Laguna, the effects of being a hybrid of the merfolk started taking hold.

His fingers had become webbed, the fingernails having grown into sharp claws. Gills had developed in his neck and, as he pulled his jacket down so they weren't covered anymore, the cold night air made them react as if he were underwater. He coughed, breathing having become difficult since the discovery, and Magnus reached forward to aid him-like he had been ever since Alec had begun showing signs of being part merfolk-but wasn't able to make it far.

As soon as the other Shadowhunters had seen the magic forming around Magnus' hand, they reacted fearfully. Isabelle gasped and scrambled for her whip while Jace had his seraph blade out instantly, pointing it at warlock and causing him to pause.

"Don't touch him with your filthy magic," Jace spat.

Alec rubbed his throat, trying to get some air in to tell Jace it was okay, but the last dosage of magic he had received before they left was beginning to wear off. Magnus was calm, nonchalant for someone with a blade pointed at his chest, and simply said, "If you do not let me help then Alexander will die."

"What?" Isabelle snapped. "Why?"

Magnus glanced at Alec and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell them or . . . ?"

Alec ground his teeth together and turned back around, holding his hands out for the three of them to see. Clary's jaw unhinged while Isabelle gasped again, horror having captured them both when they weren't expecting it. Jace's reaction was the most comical as he became so stunned that his seraph blade fell from his hands and nearly sliced his foot off.

Magnus used the opportunity to seize the back of Alec's neck, letting his magic flow through the Shadowhunters skin and into his lungs. Alec gasped, thankful for the ability to breathe again. He took in the mortified expressions of his family and looked away shamefully. "I'm a hybrid," he explained. "Of the merfolk."

"What?" Clary asked, clearly confused.

"They thought a hybrid would end the war, all they needed was someone to do it to," Alec continued. "I got away but consumed their blood, meaning I have Downworlder blood running through my system."

"This is bullshit," Jace spat. He stepped over his seraph blade and pointed at Magnus angrily. "This is your fault. What do you want with him, huh? Why are you destroying his life like this? His values? What he's been raised to do like the rest of us? Why are you throwing Alec in the line of fire? Is it to protect yourself? What exactly is your game, warlock?"

"Jace," Clary said, voice bordering on warning.

"Am I the only one seeing something wrong here?!" Jace exclaimed.

Magnus regarded Jace with a cool expression, not at all fazed by being confronted or screamed at. "Alexander and I"-

"What's with the 'Alexander', too?!" Jace demanded. "Nobody calls him that!"

"For heaven's sake you don't know when to shut up," Magnus said with exasperation. He flicked his fingers and silenced Jace. No matter how hard the blond tried, no sound would come out of his mouth. Alec, Isabelle and Clary gaped, stunned at how easy it had been for Magnus to get Jace to shut his mouth. Well, sort of shut his mouth.

"Now that that is taken care of," Magnus said, dusting his hands off. "I would gladly explain everything. As long as I am not approached in such a hostile manner again." He grinned at the three shocked and one vengeful Shadowhunters. "Tea, anyone?"


	12. The Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus explains the situation to Alec's siblings and Clary. They realise the type of threat that Alec's hybrid genes will pose on the eldest Lightwood's life and begin to plan how they are going to protect him.

In the library of the Lightwood Home, Magnus mixed a concoction for Alec. His finger twirled in constant circles, controlling the spoon that sat in the mug on the table. Jace, Isabelle and Clary sat squashed on one sofa, three pairs of eyes watching the spoon as it moved. Alec sat on the floor by the fire, concentrating on his breathing and trying not to waste whatever air he could consume.

"The book that contained the spell allowing the Downworlders to mark themselves was written with materials only found in the ocean," Magnus explained. "They tried to cover it up, send a different breed of Downworlder all together to the warlock with the book, but I was able to see through them."

"But why?" Isabelle demanded, eyes still wearily watching the magic flowing from Magnus' fingertips. "What do the mer-folk gain?"

"Easy," Jace said gruffly. "The ability to infiltrate Idris."

"I don't understand why that validates them turning Alec into a hybrid," Isabelle muttered.

Magnus stopped moving his finger, and the spoon in the cup stopped moving. The three Shadowhunters flinched, as if the cup was going to implode just because the magic had stopped flowing into it. "It doesn't," said Magnus. "It wasn't part of the original plan."

Isabelle noticed Jace stiffen when the warlock crouched beside Alec on the floor and handed him the cup of potion. There was barely any space between them as Magnus murmured something to her brother, his hand placed on his shoulder in an incredibly intimate fashion. Alec was nodding to whatever Magnus told him, cup clutched in both of his webbed hands. Then, with a gust of courage, he downed the cup in one gulp.

Without so much as explaining to the others what he had given Alec, Magnus stood up again and continued his story like there hadn't been a pause at all.

"Marking Downworlders to infiltrate Idris and creating a hybrid to end the war doesn't add up," Magnus explained, "which is what makes me think that it wasn't part of the original plan of attack. Maybe the mer-folk are going rogue, gone crazy with the desperation for the war to end, while the rest of the Downworlders still want to bring down the Shadowhunters. Still want blood to run through the streets of Idris."

"I will fight to my dying breath before allowing that to happen," Jace growled, standing up with determination.

"Which could happen sooner than you think if the upper hand the Downworlders have isn't rectified," Magnus reminded Jace.

"But how?" asked Clary. "There's nothing the Shadowhunters can do. They think torturing the captives will scare the Downworlders into surrender but all its doing is making them angrier. Hence why the mer-folk did this to Alec!"

"And if we show the Clave what they did to Alec . . ." Isabelle trailed off.

Jace glared at Magnus, enraged that the warlock had dared put Alec in such a position, even though it wasn't at all Magnus' fault. "They'll kill him," the blond spat.

Isabelle looked to Alec again, her heart splintering as she saw him fingering one of his arrows with his clawed fingernail. There would be no way he could shoot with the same accuracy with webbed hands. It could be possible, but not immediately. He'd have to practice, train like he was a novice all over again, all the previous work he had put into his archery forgotten.

"Maybe it's for the best," Alec muttered. The potion Magnus had given him gave him the ability to breath out of water without needing regular top ups of magic. The potion lasted longer and would only need topped up every few days, rather than every few hours. "I'm poisoned. I'm not a Shadowhunter anymore, nor am I a Downworlder. I'm a disgusting inbetween that nobody would want."

"Killing you is not an option!" Isabelle shouted, angry at Alec for so much as suggesting such a thing.

"And what's the other option, Isabelle? Hide from Clave? If you don't remember, I'm in the draft. It won't be long before another battle happens and I get called out. They'll find me when I don't show up and then what? I die anyway," Alec ranted. "Pointless."

"It will give us more time to"-

"I am useless now," Alec interrupted his sister. "I cannot fight in this condition, nor can I shoot an arrow. I have lost every piece of training I ever received, I have been hindered. The Shadowhunters won't want me. I was the best shooter in my Division, maybe even in the whole army, they keep me on the frontline because of that, and because of our parents' legacy. As soon as they find out what the mer-folk did though? As soon as they discover that I can't shoot anymore? I will become disposable. They'll expect me to walk to my execution without a fight."

Isabelle fought for something to say, something to do to convince her brother that his life was worth fighting for, Downworlder hybrid or not. It was difficult, however, because Alec was stubborn and no matter what anyone said, no truth would override his own.

"You could train," Clary said.

Jace leaned against the fireplace with one hand, the other clenched into a tight fist. "Train?" he repeated.

"If we go back to New York, to Hodge's Institute, Alec can train himself to fight again. Learn to use the things that are holding him back as advantages," Clary explained. "If he can maybe prove to the Clave that he is not out of action, nor is he turning his back on them . . . Maybe they'll look past the webs and the gills . . ."

Alec rolled his blue eyes. "And if I get drafted?" he asked.

Clary didn't have an answer. She shrugged, ginger hair falling in front of her fact as she admitted defeat. Isabelle pushed her fingers through her hair with frustration and Jace muttered something unintelligent under his breath. Alec rested his chin on his knees, resigned to his fate.

"Isn't it obvious?" Magnus asked. Eight eyes lifted to look at the brilliantly bright warlock, each one holding confusion. Magnus looked down at Alec, sympathy in his cat-like iris'. "You go on Duty Leave."

~xXx~

That night, Magnus couldn't sleep. The Lightwood home was nice, but had been stripped of any and all life as a result of the war. Everything was being used in the fight, meaning that basic rations for everyone didn't just mean food. It also meant heat; water; materials; furniture. Magnus wondered what the Shadowhunters would think if they saw his apartment. His bedroom alone could probably provide them with all the material they needed for the entire year. Why didn't Magnus give it to them? Because the Clave didn't deserve it.

Magnus sat in the open doorway at the front of the Lightwood home, gazing out at the night like he could find the answers to everything in the stars, two days ago, Magnus had been working alone. Now he had somehow gotten himself entangled with Shadowhunters, with the alleged 'enemy'. If these people, these kids, truly were the enemy, why wasn't he dead yet? Surely, if they were the brainwashed soldiers that Downworlder propaganda portrayed them to be then . . . shouldn't he be dead? Not that Magnus was ever swayed by Downworlder propaganda. He believed the Seelie Queen as much as Jace trusted him, which was very little, if at all.

Alec, however, had somehow widdled his way into Magnus' plain of notice. At first, he had struck Magnus as any other Shadowhunter warrior. Too focused on winning than to think about anything else. As the days have passed and they have gotten themselves into more and more situations together, Magnus had grown to realize that not all Shadowhunters were as victory crazed, and some where simply going through the motions to save their families the pain of the consequences. Alec was the oldest in his family, he felt he had a duty to protect his brother and sister at all costs, which meant fighting in the war; killing Downworlders; hiding who he was . . . If anyone was evidence of how fucked up this war was, then Alexander Lightwood was exhibit A.

And yet Magnus couldn't help caring about him deeply.

"Are you okay?"

Magnus glanced over his shoulder, to where Alec stood a couple of metres away. The moonlight that streamed in through the open doorway painted the Shadowhunter with its pale, white glow. "Just couldn't sleep," the warlock assured.

Alec came closer, further revealing himself to the light provided by the moon in the sky. Even in these circumstances, where he had been beaten and drowned and morphed into a hybrid, the eldest Lightwood still managed to look drop dead gorgeous. His pyjamas were the same ones he had been wearing when Magnus had first met him, and were still as revealing as they had been back then. But for once, it wasn't what captured the warlock's attention. It was simply Alec's presence that had Magnus feeling in awe of him.

"I never thought about it before," Alec said, seating himself in the doorway beside Magnus. It wasn't a huge doorway and for both to sit there comfortably, their elbows had to touch. The contact, as mundane as it was, made Magnus shiver. "Do warlocks even sleep?"

The question amused Magnus, since before the war started he spent 85% of his day sleeping. "Yeah, we do," he answered with a smile.

Alec returned the smile, somehow pleased just by the sight of Magnus' tired old grin. He sighed and looked out at the streets before them, amazed by how still and silent Idris became once night had fallen. Like maybe something as incredible as peace had somehow reached them, as impossible as it sounded. Magnus could understand the desire to want to stay in the night forever, because it was the most peaceful place to be.

"Isabelle called Hodge," said Alec. "We head to New York tomorrow."

Magnus nodded. "Sounds like the best place to be right now," he said.

Alec pushed his webbed hand through his hair, his chin finding its way to his knees where it propped itself up comfortably. "I'll file for Duty Leave tomorrow, as well," he said.

"Will they enquire about a partner?" Magnus asked.

Alec shook his head. "That only happens if the Leave is unsuccessful."

Magnus glanced sideways, at Alec's profile. "Do you think a month will be enough time?"

"Who knows?" Alec muttered. "Only time will tell."

There was a heavy sadness to Alec's voice, invisible to the untrained ear. But Magnus had lived too many lives for too many years, and he knew how to recognize the sound of a burden in a person's tone. "You're scared they'll take Max and Isabelle, aren't you?" he asked.

Alec closed his eyes. "I don't want to lose my family," he murmured. "Especially not over such a trivial matter as a successful duty leave."

Magnus tapped his fingers against the floor, fighting to smother his irritation at how unjustified the Clave were. "Clary is with child," the warlock said, causing Alec to reopen his eyes and frown. "If the worst came to the worst, you could pretend that it is yours."

"I would never do that to Jace," Alec said firmly. If he was shocked at Magnus' revelation, he hid it well.

"Jace is a prattling child, at the best of times," said Magnus.

"His intentions are good," Alec replied.

Magnus could make out the slits that sliced through Alec's neck and collarbone, the fact that his shirt was so big revealing the gills to the harsh glare of the night. It wasn't fair that someone so good had to be put through such trials. Magnus wished that Caspian had dragged himself into the water, and not Alec.

"You're staring at me," Alec muttered, his face turning pink. "Am I really that ugly now?"

"You are not ugly," Magnus said firmly.

Alec shook his head with denial. "Average at best, for most of my life. Now? Now I've surpassed the plain of average and into the pits of unattractiveness. Its fine, I understand. I've never believe anyone could ever want me anyhow. Best be me than someone else."

Magnus took one of Alec's hands and held it between them. The Shadowhunter stretched his fingers on reflex, the webs pulling tight as his fingers tried desperately to separate themselves. Speckles of glitter still clung to Alec's pale hands, glittering in the moonlight like miniature diamonds.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Magnus reminded Alec, softly stroking the web between his fore and index finger, showing him that he was not in the least repulsed by them.

"By in who's eye would what I am ever be beheld as beauty?" Alec muttered.

"Oh Alexander, you are a difficult one," Magnus sighed.

Alec's blue eyes skittered away from Magnus', finding the floor with sheepish conviction. "Not worth the trouble," he said.

Magnus brushed his hand along the younger boy's jawline, bringing his face back so their eyes met again. "Always worth the trouble," he corrected. "Your sister, your brother, you friends . . . they all need you to survive. If they didn't, they would not have come looking for you. They would not have fought so hard to find a solution to this problem."

"It would be easier on them if I never existed," Alec denied. "If the Clave . . ." He squeezed his eyes shut, as if it would ward anything away. "If the Clave discover what I am, they'll take my family away from me."

"Not if you train. Not if you prove your worth like Clary"-

"I'm not talking about the fact I'm a hybrid," Alec interrupted. "I'm talking about the fact that they won't waste the manpower, but they would take my brother and sister from me out of fear of my poisoning them. Of making them like me. Of pushing my lifestyle onto them simply to spite the Clave and their values."

Magnus closed his eyes. Of course. If the Clave found out that Alec was gay, Isabelle and Max would be confiscated from his care. "That's not going to happen."

"And how do you know that?" When Alec opened his eyes again, the blue of them pierced through Magnus' soul. "I can't sleep with a woman, Magnus. I cannot have children with a woman. I will not lead a woman on or convince her that what we will have is genuine. I cannot marry a woman, nor can I pretend to love her. I'm sick of pretending. I'm sick of doing this game. It just goes around and around in these endless circles where I lie and cheat and pretend like everything's okay."

"There is nothing wrong with who you are, Alexander," Magnus said.

Alec touched Magnus' hand, the one against his face, and answered, "I know. But when you spend your life pretending, it's hard to think otherwise."

Magnus let go of Alec's hand and cupped the other side of his face, holding the Shadowhunter almost too tight to be comfortable. "When this war ends, there will be no more pretending," he said.

"If this war ends," Alec muttered quietly.

"It will."

"You don't know that."

Magnus shook his head. No, he didn't know that. But whichever way they spun it around, this war was going to end. Whether it be with the victory of the Shadowhunters or the victory of the Downworlders, or the destruction of them both, it was going to end. And hopefully, when it did, people like Alexander Lightwood would not have to pretend anymore.

Magnus closed the space between himself and Alec, his mouth finding the Shadowhunter's in the dark. Alec sat frozen, his lips parted slightly so Magnus' fit against his own perfectly. His eyes fluttered closed and his hand tightened over the warlock's, wishing with everything he had that this was the reality that he could live in. That this was the life he could lead without having to hide or lie or pretend or worry. That he could kiss someone he cared about deeply, like Magnus, and enjoy it too, and not be judged for it.

But this was not a perfect world.

And wishes like that didn't come true.

Alec pulled away, panic flashing across his blue eyes. Magnus could see the fear in Alec's eyes, the fear of the unknown, and before he could even begin to convince him that it was okay, the Shadowhunter was up on his feet and walking away.

"Isabelle always tries to make breakfast before we leave but trust me, you don't want that," Alec rambled as he left, "I'll make some bacon and sausages for us before she wakes up. Join me in the kitchen if you want some."

Magnus sat in the doorway for a while after Alec disappeared into the kitchen. He looked up, to the moon, and wished himself that Alec did not have to fear. With a heavy sigh, Magnus lifted his finger and wrote Alec's name into the sky with his magic, causing the stars to follow the path and arrange themselves to have it written across the night.

Alexander Lightwood.

Magnus let his finger drop and the stars returned to their normal, random arrangement. He heaved himself to his feet with another sigh and went to join Alec in the kitchen. Someday, maybe soon, maybe in ten or fifty years' time, he would be able to write Alexander Lightwood's name into the stars and not have to hide it.


	13. Bitter Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec tries in vain to regain his archery ability, but with his new hybrid assets it proves to be a challenge. Meanwhile, Jace and Magnus have an unsettling conversation.

~Dear Alexander,~

The arrows shot missed the target by miles, some sticking into the outer edges and others missing it completely and attaching themselves to the wall.

~We were delighted to receive your application for Duty Leave.~

An angry yell; grabbing at more arrows; struggling to load the bow again.

~We are more than obliged to grant you permission, and we know that you will utilise the time granted to the best of your ability.~

Another try. Another miss. More frustrated yelling.

~As a Lightwood, we know that you will do the Shadowhunters proud, and provide us with more warriors who will grow up to defend Idris against the Downworlder Scum.~

Fed up. Quiver ripped from back. Firing the bow at the target and leaving the room to try to find some calm.

~You are an essential piece to this war, Alexander, and we know that you will live up to the legacy that your parents left behind.~

"Alec, wait!" Isabelle's heels smacking the ground as she ran after her fed up brother.

~May the Angel remain with you.~

Doors slamming. Shouting echoing through the corridors of the Institute.

~The Clave~

Magnus had never thought that watching a Shadowhunter train could be so miserable. The whole idea of training was to better one's self; to improve; to become better than you were yesterday. Except, Alec had been there with his archery. He'd done the training. He had it down to a refined art. He knew how to shoot a bullseye with his eyes closed. Now all of that had gone down the drain. It had all been thrown away, like rubbish in the breeze. The knowledge was still there, his body simply wouldn't conduct what his brain told him to do.

No wonder Alec was frustrated.

Hodge didn't know that Magnus was in the Institute. As a Shadowhunter loyalist, he would probably report it to the Clave. The New York Institute was a big place, however, and Magnus was easily able to stay in one part of the building, undetected, while Hodge continued business in another part. Alec stayed in the same side of the Institute as Magnus, in case his old mentor came wandering around and he had to distract him while the warlock slipped away.

Hodge didn't know about what happened to Alec. It was easy enough to hide from him. Hodge was getting old and was too weary to question why Alec always had his hands in his pockets and was always wearing baggy jumpers instead of his gear. Thankfully, it matched Alec's personality to do so anyway because before he was drafted, apparently that was how he used to dress. They also kept the Duty Leave lie under wraps and hoped that he didn't hear it from anyone else.

"He's been doing archery training since he was five years old," Isabelle said at dinner that night. Alec wasn't there, he was back in the training room. The four of them could hear the oldest Lightwood's enraged yelling from the kitchen. "I've never since his hands so fumbly, even when he was starting out."

"Give it time," Clary said, picking the lettuce out of her sandwich. "He'll get the hang of it."

"Let's just hope Max doesn't start asking questions," Isabelle muttered. "I don't know what I'd tell him."

Thankfully, so far Max hadn't questioned their actions. He liked the New York Institute, and was glad to return to see Hodge. He didn't seem to be aware of what was going on with Alec yet, nor had he been aware that they had travelled with a warlock. They hoped to keep it that way, as they didn't yet have a feasible lie to excuse Alec's sudden incompetence with a bow that didn't border on terminal illness or impending death.

"Alec will adapt," said Jace, taking the lettuce that Clary was picking out and adding it to his own sandwich. "He always does."

"And the matter of Duty Leave?" asked Isabelle. "How are we going to explain why there isn't a Lightwood Junior on the way once the month is up?"

"Just say it was unsuccessful," said Clary.

Magnus shook his head. "No, that won't do," he hummed. "If the Duty Leave is unsuccessful, then the Clave will start to probe. Ask questions about the woman he took the Leave for; her background; why they couldn't conceive. They'll want to make sure that Alec didn't apply for the Leave just to escape the Draft. If they delve too deep, they may discover things that will jeopardise a lot in Alexander's life."

Clary didn't see what was wrong with this. "Won't we be telling them when the Leave is over that he's a hybrid?" she asked. "Hopefully, he'll have refined his archery again to prove that he's useful"-

"He's not talking about Alec being a hybrid," said Jace.

"What are we talking about then?" Clary frowned. Her eyes widened as she caught on to what they were talking about. "Oh."

Magnus remembered what Alec had told him the previous night. How scared the idea of losing his family made him. "If the Clave knew that Alec was gay then they'd take Isabelle and Max away from him"-

"Like hell they will!" Isabelle spat, disgusted by the very thought of it. Magnus could easily see her fighting until the bitter end to protect her brothers and keep the Clave from separating them. If they even tried, she'd go through them all. "I am not having Max grow up in an environment where being gay is seen as something toxic. I want him to feel like he can be free to be what he wants. If either of us turned out to be homosexual, it would be because that's how we were born, not because Alec forced it upon us."

"The Clave would disagree with you on that," Jace muttered bitterly.

"The Clave can suck it," Isabelle said fiercely. She slapped her spoon down onto the countertop and stood up. "My family always come first. Anyone has a fucking problem with it they can come to me directly so I can stick my whip so far up their ass it will be pulled from their throat."

When Isabelle marched out of the room, Magnus whistled with appreciation. "That girl has spunk," he commented.

"Her mouth will get her in trouble," Jace answered.

Clary sighed and stood up as well. Magnus wondered if Jace knew that Clary was pregnant or if she was simply keeping it to herself until she was sure. She wasn't showing yet but Magnus always had a magical sixth sense for that kind of deal and she was most definitely with child. It wasn't unheard of for Shadowhunter partners to get pregnant before they were old enough to actually fight. Most of those raised in Loyalist environments would jump at the opportunity to impress before reaching legal age to join the army.

"I'm going to see if she's alright," said Clary.

That left Magnus and Jace in the kitchen.

Jace didn't come across as a Loyalist to Magnus but he did seem to be very dedicated to the cause. The blond Shadowhunter's initial response to Magnus' presence had been that of disgust and fury, a typical advocate's behaviour. However, if he had been Loyalist, then he would not have tolerated being in the same room as Magnus; or even have spoken to him; or listened to what he had to say. Maybe he was confused, or simply didn't know what to believe anymore. He had been raised by Maryse and Robert, same as Alec and Isabelle and, for a short period, Max, but as an adopted child. Maybe not being Lightwood born created a desire to impress his legendary adoptive parents by expressing his dedication to the war. And maybe he did it a bit too well.

"Why him?" was the first thing out of Jace's mouth once Clary had left the room. There had bene a long silence, which wasn't awkward for Magnus since he had been in much more uncomfortable scenarios than this one, but had seemed to have become tedious for Jace.

"Why who?" asked Magnus.

"Alec. Out of everyone you could have recruited from Idris, why Alec?" Jace elaborated.

"I didn't go to Idris looking to recruit Shadowhunter aid, if that's what you think," Magnus answered. "We simply ran into each other, that's all."

Jace shook his head, unconvinced. "That still doesn't answer my question. Why did you recruit him then?"

Magnus thought back on the night he met Alec. He had known that Alec had been following him because of his eyes shining like night lights in the dark and they had had a stand-off of sorts where Magnus teased the hell out of the Shadowhunter, thinking that this would be the only time they would ever see each other. But it wasn't. The very next morning they ran into each other again, and Alec wasn't frozen by his spell anymore. That was when Magnus decided that he wanted help from the blue eyed Lightwood boy.

For one simple reason.

"He had a weapon trained at my heart," Magnus said. "One of his arrows had been notched and I had been prepping myself for deflecting it."

Jace narrowed his golden eyes with scepticism. "And . . . ?"

"He could have shot me on the spot," said Magnus plainly, "and he chose not to."

Jace clenched his jaw, clearly unhappy with an answer like that. "Alec isn't a sympathiser," he said, almost as if he were trying to convince himself of this more than anyone else. Magnus wasn't surprised. There wasn't much evidence to support such a statement anymore, no matter how much Jace said it to himself.

"Why must we call it sympathising? Why can't it be considered behaving like civilised beings?" Magnus asked, more rhetorically than actually expecting an answer from Jace. "Alexander has struck me as something different, since day one."

"Why day one?"

Magnus didn't think that Jace would appreciate the truth. The truth that, since day one (which had been that first night where Magnus teased and Alec was closed off and they both bickered like children in the dark) onwards, Magnus had fancied the pants off of Alexander Lightwood. It's a lie to say that the first thing you notice about a person isn't their looks because how else are you to perceive someone if you notice them through your eyes? Sure, maybe it's different if you're blind but Magnus was certainly not blind and the reason he followed Alec the next morning was because he wanted to see him again. Gauge whether the night had simply made his cheekbones look sharper and his jaw so defined. In fact, a part of Magnus had hoped that it had simply been the lighting. He hadn't wanted to get involved with Shadowhunters again.

Maybe that made him superficial.

Especially since he hadn't expected Alec to capture him so easily with his personality. How his voice sounded when he talked; how he didn't hurt Ragnor even though any other Shadowhunter would have tortured him for the information they needed; how comfortable he grew to be around Magnus, a Downworlder; how he had simply maimed Laguna and Caspian instead of killing them; his dedication to protecting his family with his life; how he apparently didn't like to be called Alexander but didn't correct Magnus when he called him that. . . Everything about Alexander drew Magnus in, making him want to know more about him.

"Because from day one he has been proving himself to be a special case," Magnus finally answered. "A Shadowhunter who doesn't enjoy . . ." He considered his next choice of words. "Killing."

"Killing is the only way we have managed to survive," Jace said pointedly.

"Then why are you losing the war?" Magnus asked innocently.

Jace's nostrils flared, anger clear as day on his face. "Because your . . . people have unfair advantages. I have a blade, you have unlimited magic."

"You're descended from angels," said Magnus, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers together. "Wouldn't you call that 'unfair advantages'?"

"It doesn't exactly make me able to blow you out of the sky with the wave of my hand," Jace ground out angrily.

"But it does make you able to mark your skin with runes that aid you in battle," Magnus reminded the Shadowhunter. "You have your ancestor's blessings, I have . . ." He flexed his jaw and sighed ". . . mine." Jace scoffed, still utterly unconvinced. "Besides, I'm not going to blow you out of the sky, that's entirely unorthodox. My magic shouldn't make me a threat to you."

To prove the point, Magnus flexed his hand, calling magic to his palm and making it gather around like a cloud of blue gas. Jace flinched, expecting the warlock to suddenly lash out and try to burn him to a crisp. When Magnus flicked his fingers outwards, making the magic trail over to Jace, the blond shadowhunter jumped right out of his seat. Instead of the power knocking him down, however, the blue cloud simply swirled around the cup of tea Clary had left behind, heating it up again to a warmer temperature.

"The sooner you realize I am not a threat to you, the easier this situation will grow to be," Magnus said, leaning across the table and picking the cup of tea up. He blew on it and took a sip, having switched the tea for coffee while it had been heated.

Jace glowered, not having appreciated being make to look like a coward. "The sooner you realize that I am not going to let you hurt Alec, or anyone else for that matter, the easier this situation will be," he said.

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think that I'm a threat to Alexander?"

"Have you seen what you've done to him?!" Jace exclaimed.

"That was not my doing."

"It may as well have been!" Jace scowled and started for the door. "Alec is my parabatai, and I will protect him with my life. The only reason you're still alive is because he trusts you. I don't know why but he does. However, if you dare cross us, especially him, then I will do the honours of shoving the blade through your heart. Clear?"

Magnus was surprisingly amused, if a little bit irritated, by Jace's ignition. "Crystal," he replied.

Jace stopped at the door. He turned around, his golden eyes dark with fury. "And his name is Alec, stop acting like you're anything but an acquaintance to him. If even that."

Without another word exchanged, Jace left Magnus alone in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know Jace is behaving like a bit of an asshole but factors such as his upbringing and his beliefs must be taken into consideration here. This is a world where the Downworlders are at war with the Shadowhunters, and Jace isn't exactly the sort of person to let the alleged 'enemy' waltz around carefree, let alone cohort with his parabatai.


	14. No Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec makes a tiny bit of progress, but the Shadowhunter isn't satisfied until he reaches perfection.

It took a week and a half for Alec to get the arrow to stick in the target for the first time. Everyone had been in the training room when it had happened and despite the congratulations he got from them all, Alec didn't feel like it was deserved. Isabelle got too excited about it, jumping up and down and declaring that this was the start; this was when he was going to start improving; that by the end of the month, he'd be a pro again.

Alec wondered if Isabelle remembered that it took him ten years to master archery or if she just chose to ignore that fact.

It wasn't that he couldn't aim properly, his general aim was just fine. It was that his webbed hands couldn't grip the bow right anymore and every time he notched an arrow, pulling the string back and letting go caused it to go askew. It was getting horribly frustrating and as the days went on, the stronger the desire to give up grew. The urge to throw down the bow and declare that he would simply have to face the Clave as he was now felt like a ball of lead in his stomach, reminded him of how he couldn't let it happen. The consequences of such a thing were too catastrophic. For not only him, but his family.

Everyone tried to lend a hand.

Clary wasn't exactly an expert but she would lend a hand whenever she could, even if it was just fetching things or standing in certain places to help Alec eye something. Isabelle would attempt to put the pressure on, trying to see if putting the weight of the situation would somehow scare Alec into working better. When that didn't work, she would try and give advice where it was needed; even though her archery knowledge was limited.

Jace spent hours in the training room with Alec. He would spar with him, increasing Alec's ability to fight with his new aquatic features; watch him shoot at the target and state was he could tell was going wrong; sometimes he just trained on his own while Alec practiced, ready to calm his parabatai down if he got too frustrated with himself.

They all knew how aggravated Alec was becoming. Every miss; every hour wasted; every second that he didn't improve; irritated the oldest Lightwood awfully. They had to stop him from giving up.

Magnus, unwittily to the others, was the greatest help of all. He didn't fuss. He didn't flock around Alec like an anxious chicken. He didn't press Alec for something to do that could help. He just sat in the training room, keeping Alec company, watching carefully for any signs of upset. The only time he ever interfered was if Alec got too vexed and wanted to give up. It was rare that would happen when the warlock was around. Somehow, his presence in the room soothed Alec's tangled nerves, even if neither realised it.

Alec was once again growing stronger in all manners of battle. He could spar with Jace just fine, winning a lot of the matches even with his webbed hands and gills; he was able to wield a seraph blade again; and he could climb high structures once more-something that had been achieved with great difficulty due to his hands. However, the only thing he still couldn't do was the one thing he wanted to learn the most. He needed to have his ability to shoot back. It wasn't just a talent he had been blessed with, it was something he had worked hard for. The fact that Alec couldn't do it anymore wasn't the sort of thing he could shrug off. Not this time. He needed to learn it again, webbed hands or not.

"You're making marvellous progress," Magnus commented at the end of the second week.

"Marvellous progress," Alec repeated through gritted teeth, holding the string of his bow back for as long as he could, despite the protest of his webbed fingers. "Marvellous progress will be when I can hit the damn bullseye again."

"Even if you show the Clave that you're capable of improvement, they may be willing to spare you," said Magnus.

Alec snorted. "I wish they were that merciful," he muttered. He hissed when the web split, causing blood to spill from his hand.

Magnus picked up on it immediately, noticing the scarlet red as it slid between Alec's fingers and dripped from his wrist to the floor. Even though he was bleeding, Alec remained motionless, holding his position like a statue. "Alexander, stop," he ordered, marching across the room in one swift movement. "What's hurting yourself going to achieve?"

"Nothing," Alec replied. "But if it helps me then so be it."

"How will hurting yourself help?"

"I'm hardly doing it on purpose. This is how I hold my bow when I shoot," Alec explained. When he released the arrow, it sprung across the room and lodged itself in the middle of the target. Magnus gaped at it for a moment, mesmerized at how easy it had been for Alec to do it, before returning his gaze to Alec. His gaze slid down Alec's arm to his hand, which shook violently as it continued to bleed.

"You can't do it like that anymore," the warlock said softly. "You must find another way."

Alec shook his head. He pulled his stele out of his back pocket and drew a healing rune onto his hand. He cursed when it simply faded. The runes only worked on the parts of his body that weren't affected by the Downworlder blood. It was becoming difficult for Alec to adjust to because, due to his stubbornness, on a daily basis he would rip the webs on his hands purposely, hoping that maybe they wouldn't grow back. But they always did.

"If it comes down to it, I am willing to do anything to protect my family," Alec answered.

Magnus rolled his eyes and lifted the Shadowhunter's arm with the curl of a finger. He clicked his fingers and healed Alec's wound, making the cut seal up and clotting the blood flow. "You need to think of a different way."

"Of what? Shooting?" Alec scoffed. "If you haven't noticed, thinking of a different way has been getting me nowhere."

"Alexander," Magnus said firmly, "I know you can do it."

Alec shook his head. "I don't know anymore," he muttered. "There's only two weeks left now. I can't see myself being good enough by the end of my Duty Leave."

Magnus examined Alec's hand carefully, ensuring that he healed it properly. "Don't worry about your Duty Leave just yet," he said. "We'll cross that bridge when it comes."

"It's my job to worry," Alec said fiercely. He was embarrassed by Magnus' fussing and pulled his hand away from the warlock sheepishly. "It's not exactly the most admirable personality trait but it can't be helped."

Magnus smiled. "I find it extremely endearing."

Alec flushed and looked away peevishly, unable to let himself believe what Magnus said. Magnus noticed that the Shadowhunter had a habit of doing that. If the warlock said anything strategic-anything to do with their approach to the war or his own magic-then Alec would believe it with no problem. If Magnus said something complimentary about Alec personally, however, the Shadowhunter would convince himself that the warlock was only fooling him around.

"I can't do this," Alec muttered. He looked to the target and clenched his jaw. "The only way it works is if I rip my fingers apart."

"Which isn't an option," Magnus added.

"I will make it an option," Alec said darkly. "If the need presents itself."

Magnus was becoming irritated by this version of Alec. His dedication was commendable but being committed to the point of self destruction was not something to appreciate. To Alec, it was only a bit of a blood. A bit of blood to protect his entire family. He didn't seem to understand that ripping the webs in his hands would only cause them to grow back stronger each time, until each one was indestructible. Besides, Magnus was not going to allow Alec to hurt himself.

"You will not," Magnus said firmly.

Alec narrowed his eyes menacingly. "And who are you to tell me what to do, anyway?" he growled.

Magnus narrowed his own eyes, matching Alec's angry gaze. "You know I am right," he snapped.

"Do I really?" Alec snapped back.

"You are not going to hurt yourself just to prove a point to the Clave!" Magnus barked.

Alec didn't even flinch. "I only have two weeks left!"

"And you will do what you can in those two weeks," Magnus answered pointedly. "Without harming yourself further."

They stared at each other furiously. Magnus could understand Alec's desire to go as far as he possibly could to achieve success-he had been through a similar period himself-but as long as he was around, he was not going to let the Shadowhunter reach that point himself. Even if he was already a little bit there.

Alec's blue eyes sparkled. "Why are you still here anyway? You could have easily left when we came here but you didn't. What's keeping you here?"

Magnus sighed. "You really need to ask that?" he answered.

Alec cocked his head and frowned. "Yes, I do."

"If you really must know, I have become too involved with events to part myself from them," Magnus replied. He couldn't help noting that they had gotten extremely close to each other, nearly chest to chest. "I feel responsible for what Laguna and Caspian did to you."

"I see," Alec murmured. "Well, there's no need. What happened was my fault, not yours. I free you of the responsibility." He looked slightly worried. "Would that mean you'd go?"

Magnus exhaled, unable to stop himself from smiling. "I would never leave you, Alexander. Not now. Not until I know you're safe."

Alec rolled his eyes. "You're impossible," he mumbled.

"I know," Magnus smirked.

Alec's eyes flickered from Magnus' eyes to his mouth and he ground his teeth together, as if having to restrain himself doing something . . . he'd regret? Magnus raised his eyebrows when their eyes met again, still smirking. Alec scowled, convincing himself that he was being stupid, and tried to turn away. Magnus grabbed the Shadowhunter's arms, stopping him from turning away. Alec tried to stay scowling but as soon as he reconnected his gaze with Magnus' it melted away, like snow in sunlight.

"Did I mention that you're impossible?" Alec stuttered, his breath catching as their mouths drifted closer.

"Yeah, you did," Magnus teased.

Alec leaned forward, surprising Magnus by being the one to instigate the kiss, and connected their lips. Never one to complain, Magnus accepted it. He touched Alec's face and drew him closer, feeling his heart flutter in his chest for the first time in what felt like forever. Alec dropped his bow and took Magnus' hand in his own, wrapping his webbed fingers around the warlock's tanned hand. It shocked Magnus how much the simple gesture anchored him. How it made him feel like everything that had led up to this moment was necessary, because it brought him to Alec.

"I'm sorry," Alec pulled away to whisper. "My hands are disgusting."

"Don't be ridiculous," Magnus answered, tightening his own fingers around Alec's webbed ones. "You are not disgusting in any way."

"Aren't I?" Alec laughed, completely unconvinced.

"Not in the slightest," Magnus replied, kissing Alec gently. The Shadowhunter inhaled, his breath catching in his throat in the process. The gills in his neck moved as they took on the job of breathing for him, allowing the kiss to prolong for a ridiculous amount of time (with the addition of Magnus' magic added on to help the warlock himself breathe longer).

"Alec?"

Alec jerked away, spinning around in horror to find his little brother Max standing in the doorway of the training room. "Max!" he exclaimed breathlessly.

Max pushed his glasses up his face and frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just, um, training," Alec explained quickly, stepping back from Magnus sheepishly. He cursed when he stepped on the bow that he'd dropped on the floor.

"With the warlock who opened our portal for us?" Max frowned.

"Sure," said Alec, glancing at Magnus nervously.

Max stepped into the room and approached his brother and Magnus curiously. "I thought Downworlders weren't allowed in the Institute," he said.

"Magnus is . . . different," Alec answered.

"Hey, kid," Magnus said, crouching down to Max's eye level. "Want to see something cool?"

Max beamed. "Always."

"Hold your hand out." Magnus flicked his painted fingers outwards, causing blue sparks to erupt from the tips. They formed a sparkly blue stream that wound around Max's body. The magic piled into Max's hand and formed the shape of a book. Magnus leaned forward and blew, making the thick blue coating to blow away, revealing a copy of a manga beneath.

"Awesome!" Max exclaimed. "This is the one I've been waiting for!"

"Thank your brother," Magnus grinned, looking over his shoulder at Alec, who was looking really confused. "He told me about it."

Max looked at Alec with wide, happy eyes. "Thanks Alec!" he said. He looked to Magnus and said, "You're cool, I like you."

"You can't tell Hodge about me being here," Magnus said. "Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Duh!" Max replied. He clutched the manga tight to his chest and ran out of the room, keen to begin reading his new manga.

Alec stared at Magnus, long after his brother was gone, completely stunned. "How did you remember that?" he asked incredulously.

"You told me when we were resting after the encounter with Laguna and Caspian," Magnus shrugged, standing up. "I have a selective memory."

"And you chose to remember that?"

Magnus winked. "I thought it might come in handy."

Alec's eyes softened. "Thank you. That means so much to him," he said. "Things haven't been easy on him. You've probably made his year." He smiled, the action so bright that it lit up the entire room. Magnus smiled back and leaned forward, unable to resist kissing Alec again.

Alec stepped back nervously and tripped over the bow which still remained on the floor. Magnus chuckled and shook his head, despite the Shadowhunter's ignition. "Have a nice trip?" the warlock teased.

"Shut up," Alec snapped, flushing bright red. He snatched up the bow and sighed. "You're distracting me. Zip your lips and let me practice."

Magnus curled his finger under Alec's chin and drew him toward him, pecking his lips affectionately. Alec drew back, suddenly nervous and unsure about the entire kissing ordeal. "I make no promises."


	15. An Offered Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clary offers to make a sacrifice for Alec, one which he couldn't possibly accept . . .

Clary was taking sick more often than usual. It reminded Alec of what Magnus had said that night they had sat in the open doorway. About her being pregnant. Alec didn't take Magnus for a liar, and had guessed that the warlock was probably right, but it became clear that Jace was unaware of it.

Maybe he was even the only person unaware of it, as it seemed that Isabelle had become the embodiment of a worrying mother hen. She and Clary would spend hours together, hidden away, and Alec's sister was usually the one who held Clary's hair back for her when she was sick. Alec knew that if Jace was aware of the situation, he'd want to help as much as he possibly could but since Clary was hiding it from him, he couldn't do anything. If Jace noticed, he didn't act like it.

It was getting dangerously close to the end of the month and while Alec could get the arrows to lodge into the target, his aim was not admirable. Unless he hurt himself in the process, the arrow would not go near the bullseye, and since Magnus had started watching over him even more intently, it became impossible to attempt anything of the sort.

Alec paced his room. He wasn't able to settle for longer than a few minutes these past weeks. When not training, he was supposed to rest, but his mind was alive and ticking, constantly trying to think of a solution to the mess he had gotten himself into. The only weapon he was allowed to keep in his room was a seraph blade, as when he brought his bow and quiver with him, Isabelle had caught him practicing when he was supposed to be resting and forbade him from doing it again.

It was a little nostalgic, being back in his room in the Institute. This was where he stayed for most of his childhood, especially when his parents passed. There were marks all over the room that gave away that it had been lived in, despite how orderly he tried to keep it. Fingernail scratches from when Isabelle refused to get out of his room when she was ten because she didn't want to go to bed and had to be physically pulled out by Hodge. Dents on the floor from the multiple times Alec had tripped and smacked his head off wooden panels. Flakes off scratched off pain from when Alec would lie in his room with boredom and pick at the paint on his wall. Cracks in the ceiling. Scuffs on the skirting boards. Rust on the doorknob.

This room was very lived in.

Yet Alec felt further from home than ever.

It seemed that Alec's life had become too back and forward for him to ever feel comfortable in a particular space. When he was younger, this room was his haven. Then he was recruited into the Shadowhunter army and he was forced to take residence in his parents' home in Idris. It was legally his but since he had been raised in the New York Institute it had been extremely unfamiliar for him, especially the nights he spent there alone with nothing but his parents' ghosts to keep him company.

Even when Isabelle and Max would visit with Jace and Clary, Alec was never fully . . . secure. Maybe it was because he was in the draft and was called nearly every other week to fight. Maybe he just didn't have the time to settle anywhere because of the war with the Downworlders. Maybe he never would find a place to call home again. Maybe he was just going to have to accept that.

Alec rubbed his eyes (an extremely difficult feat with claw-like fingernails and his webbed fingers) and exhaled. He was growing accustomed to being this way, something he didn't think he would ever do, and it was scaring him how familiar being part Downworlder was beginning to feel. Magnus had mentioned when they were resting after the attack from Laguna and Caspian that there was a possibility he could grow a tail in pure waters. 'Pure waters' as Magnus had described, were stretches of water such as seas; oceans; lakes; and ponds. "Water from the Earth," as he had put it.

Alec didn't want to test that option.

"Alec?"

Alec looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Clary standing in his doorway. She was pale, paler than usual, and he could nearly count the freckles on his face because of this. She didn't make a move to enter the room and Alec stood where he was for a moment, so surprised by her sudden appearance that he didn't know what to say.

"May I come in?"

Alec shook his himself. He nodded, stepping backwards as if to clear a space for her to enter even though he was nowhere near the doorway in the first place.

Clary entered cautiously. She didn't sit anywhere or touch anything. She started playing with her fingers, feeling as awkward about being in Alec's room as Alec was confused about her being in his room.

Alec and Clary had always had a complicated relationship. Alec didn't like her in the beginning. He wouldn't say that he hated her, hate was an extremely strong word. If Alec hated her, he would never have allowed her into his family's home in Idris. When Clary first appeared, he had been weary of her, and how fast she connected with Jace. There had always been an envious hint there as well, as Alec was still wrestling with himself and his feelings for his parabatai, which caused his first behaviours towards the redhead to be borderline childish.

As time grew on, however, and Clary proved herself to be a helpful asset to the group, Alec began to tolerate her. He didn't exactly like her as a person, nor did they get along very well, but they treated each other with the dignity and respect that they deserved. Besides, Alec liked the way Jace smiled when Clary was around. It wasn't often he would wear a smile so genuine.

"I want to talk to you about your duty leave," Clary said.

Out of everything he had expected her to say, that wasn't even in the top ten.

"What about it?"

"You need to prove that you went on Duty Leave with a Shadowhunter," said Clary. "You need a woman, fast. Or even just a baby. They don't enquire about the details of the partnership once the child has been proven to be conceived."

"Where are you going with this, Clary?" Alec frowned.

Clary's green eyes shone with desperation, like she was struggling to say something that was particularly difficult. "Take my baby," she blurted out.

Alec stared at her, gobsmacked. "What?"

"Take my baby," Clary repeated, much softer this time. "I know you know about me being pregnant, it's becoming too obvious for me to hide. Jace is thankfully oblivious but who know how long that will last." Her eyes become hard with determination. "Jace and I have plenty of time to try again. We aren't even in the army yet, we don't need to prove ourselves to anyone. You need a baby now."

"Clary I can't take your"-

"I want to help, Alec," Clary said firmly. "I'm the only person here who can't contribute anything to this plan. I can't give you advice or support you in any way. I doubt you would even want me to do so anyway."

"Clary," Alec insisted, stepping closer to her without even thinking about it, "think about what this would do to your reputation. The Clave know that you and Jace are together, they know that you're training together to be part of the army. And you know that when someone cheats, the woman always gets heckled more than the man. I'll probably walk out with a slap on the wrists, you'll get treated like a . . . like a . . ."

"Whore, I know," said Clary.

Alec eyed her suspiciously. "Why are you doing this?"

Clary shook her orange hair from her eyes. "You mean a lot to Jace, therefore you mean a lot to me. Besides, you've been protecting this family long before I showed up. You can't be executed by the Clave for this. Not when something can be done about it."

Alec still couldn't allow this. "I'm not taking your baby. I can't do that to Jace."

"This isn't about me or Jace," Clary answered, a touch of anger in her tone. "It's about making sure you get out of this situation without getting killed. Alec, if we do this now then you won't ever get called into Duty Leave again, your secret will remain a secret!"

Alec crossed his arms across his chest defensively. "Secret?" he echoed.

Clary sighed and raised her eyebrows. "Alec, don't start that with me," she said firmly. "Please, I know that you know that I know."

A flush of fear overcame Alec for a terrifying moment and he asked, "Is it obvious?"

Clary's expression softened. She stepped closer, the distance-which usually remained at a respectful distance-was now even smaller. "No," she assured. "I even doubted it myself for a while but . . . you have this certain look about you. Not all the time! Just . . . Just when . . ."

Alec frowned. "Just when what?"

Clary closed her eyes and smiled to herself. "When you're with Magnus," she said softly, as if she were afraid this knowledge would cause Alec to lash out. She opened her eyes again, emerald pools full of intelligence. "Or when Magnus is around, of course. No one can doubt that you fancy him."

Alec didn't like discussing this sort of thing with anyone, especially not Clary, and he hated the fact that she noticed this was making him turn red with embarrassment. "Great," he said flatly.

Clary didn't press the matter. In fact, once what was necessary was said she dropped the topic completely. "Are you going to let me help?" she asked.

Alec shook his head. "I appreciate it, Clary, I really do but I can't allow you and Jace to do this. I know that if Jace knew and thought it would help he would do it. He wouldn't want to but he'd do it. I refuse to allow people to think that I did this to my parabatai, or that you would allow me to do it. It's not even a matter of reputation. It's a matter of morality," he said.

"But"-

"There's still two weeks, Clary. We can wait to see what happens."

Clary nodded, clearly not happy with Alec's decision. She did something that shocked him, however, by stepping over to him and enclosing him in her thin arms. Alec stood there awkwardly, not sure whether she expected him to return the gesture or not. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones making her a bit loopy . . .

"Remember," she murmured, "if all else fails, the option is still there."

When she left Alec's room, he felt anger well up in his chest. He lashed out and punched a lamp off the dresser, causing it to smash against the floor. Clary shouldn't feel like she has to resort to this. Nobody should feel like they have to resort to this. It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.

When he turned around again, Alec was horrified to see that his sister had now appeared in his open doorway. Was this 'magically appear at Alec's door' day?

"Alec," Isabelle said, her normally confident voice strained.

"What?" Alec asked, confused by his sister's sudden appearance.

"It's the Clave," Isabelle answered, face as white as a sheet. "They know about Magnus."


	16. Malachi Dieudonne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec, Magnus and the rest of the group are forced to meet with the Consul of the Clave, Malachi Dieudonne. They have to explain why they have been cohorting with Downworlders while simultaneously keeping Alec's hybrid genes a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Trigger warning: Due to the Shadowhunter's prejudices against homosexuality, Malachi uses some language that could be considered offensive.

"Some secret agent or something reported seeing Magnus wandering around Salou with Alec," Isabelle explained. "I'm guessing maybe the Head of the Salou Institute?"

The five of them stood huddled outside the New York Institute so they didn't disturb Max and Hodge. Magnus was at work, creating a portal into Alicante. For someone whose life possibly hung in the balance, the warlock was pretty calm and collected. It amazed Alec how unfazed the Downworlder was, even with death staring him right in the face.

"That's why they want to talk to us," Isabelle finished. She looked at Alec with worried eyes. "All of us."

"Good thing, too," Jace said, "because I would be going either way."

Alec edged closer to Magnus. "You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "I can go and explain to them what's happening. You can leave, they wouldn't be able to track you because of your magic."

"Don't be ridiculous Alexander," Magnus said coolly, a winning smile on his face. "What sort of warlock would I be if I left you to fend for my own mistakes?"

"Every other one?" Jace intercepted as he crossed their path to talk to Isabelle.

Magnus gave a withering look to the back of Jace's head. Alec tried to ignore his parabatai's jabs to focus on the point he was making. "They weren't your mistakes," he insisted. "We both played a part in being spotted."

"Which means we both must answer to the Clave," Magnus beamed, the glitter that was still smeared on his eyelids glittering in the moonlight. Alec clenched his jaw, wincing that the warlock wasn't so stubborn and would just escape now while he had the chance. Magnus saw Alec ignition and winked before returning to his work.

"Aren't the Wards supposed to stop you from doing this?" asked Clary. She was currently sitting on the ground, looking a bit green. If it weren't for the Clave calling them all, she would probably still be in bed being sick.

"The Wards have been weakened ever since the Downworlders gained the upper hand in the war," Jace explained, a grim lilt to his voice.

"How else would I have been able to wander Idris and discover the Downworlders marking themselves?" Magnus grinned. "I can open this portal right in the Glass City, give the Clave the shock it deserves for calling us on such short notice. If I had more time I would have been able to pick out a formal outfit."

Isabelle snickered, earning a glare from Jace. She scowled at the blond Shadowhunter, not allowing him to intimidate her into treating Magnus like scum. Jace backed off, not keen on getting into a political war with Isabelle, and went to Clary, sitting beside her and enfolding her in a one armed hug. Clary gravitated to him, nestling herself into his side and closing her eyes, clearly intent on just falling asleep again.

Isabelle went to Alec and pulled him to the side. She immediately went hoking in his pockets, producing his gloves from them and passing them over. He struggled to get them on, his hands making it difficult to achieve. "You almost forgot to put them on, didn't you?" his sister reprimanded.

"I hate how I have grown used to having them," Alec answered.

"The Clave can't see it," said Isabelle firmly. She reached out and tugged the collar of his jacket up, further hiding the gills in his neck. "I won't let them take you from me."

"Don't worry Iz," Alec smiled, trying to be reassuring, "I won't either."

They shared a smile, something they rarely had a chance to do with the war raging on their doorstep. It was a nice moment, just between them, and Alec knew that he would fight until his dying breath to ensure Isabelle and Max's safety. For a smile like his sister's was unquenchable, and he'd rather die than let the Clave smother it.

"Alexander, I need your assistance," Magnus called.

Alec touched Isabelle's arm and returned to Magnus. "What do you need?" he asked.

"There should be a potion in my back pocket that will increase the strength of this portal," Magnus explained. "I need you to get it and throw it into the portal when I tell you to."

Face burning, Alec gulped. "The back pocket as in . . . ?"

"Well, darling, my jacket doesn't have back pockets," Magnus grinned teasingly.

Alec inwardly cursed, hating how peevish he felt. He could see the potion bottle sticking out of Magnus' trouser pocket but, after Clary telling him that she could see how he felt about Magnus, it made him fearful about who else could tell. Could Jace? Could Isabelle? Who else knew his secret? Was it even a secret anymore?

"As much as I enjoy watching you gape at me like a fish, we are pressed for time here," Magnus said, his voice clearly amused with Alec's embarrassment.

"I got it," Isabelle declared, sticking her hand into Magnus' pocket and grabbing the potion. "Here you go, bro," she said, tossing the vial over to Alec, who very nearly dropped it. "Doesn't take a century to grab a vial, y'know."

Alec ignored her and yanked the bung out of the vial. "Just say when," he told Magnus.

Magnus stepped back and clicked his fingers with a flourish, causing a vibrant blue portal to explode before them. The force nearly caused Alec and Isabelle to topple over, the older Lightwood barely managing to save the potion inside the vial. "When!" Magnus announced, sparks still crackling between his fingers. Alec stepped closer and chucked the purple potion at the portal, causing to pulsate an orange colour for a moment before returning to blue. "There we go, that should open right in the council room. I'm sure the Consul is waiting for news of our arrival there."

Out of the corner of his eye, Alec saw Jace help Clary to her feet. It was a bit concerning how sick she was. Pregnancy didn't equal disability, yet Clary had been ill ever since they returned to the New York Institute. They passed through first, Jace bundling Clary through before she could give her thanks to Magnus. Isabelle rolled her eyes and went after them, touching Magnus' arm as she passed in gratitude.

Magnus and Alec shared a look. Magnus gestured for Alec to go next, feline eyes gleaming with mischief. Alec rubbed a tired hand over his face, feeling almost too exhausted to face the Consul. He smiled tightly at Magnus and moved towards the portal before pausing. On impulse he turned around and pecked the warlock's lips, jumping through the portal's before the older man could react to it.

Alec hadn't been in the council room often. He only remembered being there once, when he first turned eighteen and was legal age to join the war and the council itself. The Clave was so focused on beating the Downworlders, however, that it hadn't held a proper council meeting in years. It was only used now for Initiation of warriors and dealing with traitors and criminals. Alec vaguely wondered which one they were being considered as Magnus came through the portal last, a smug look on his face from Alec kissing him: Traitor or criminal?

Malachi Dieudonne, the current Consul for the Clave, was extremely alarmed at their sudden appearance in the Council room. Alec hated how empty the room was. It was clearly designed to be full of life, yet it was as dead as the Vampires that roamed the Hotel Dumort, the only people in it being the six of them.

Malachi gained his composure quickly, flinching only slightly when Magnus clicked his fingers to shut the portal off. "Shadowhunters, I think you know why you've been called here," he said.

"Because of me," Magnus said, sweeping to the front of the group before anyone could open their mouth. He eyed Malachi up and down and tsked. "So you're the Consul now? Can't say I'm surprised. Although, you're no Charlotte Branwell, I can tell that by just looking at you. Do be quick with telling me what you want, I don't intend to be here for any longer than I have to be."

"What makes you think I'm going to let you leave, warlock?" Malachi glared, spitting the last word acidly. "All Downworlders that enter the Glass City never come out, surely you know that by now. I have Shadowhunters guarding every door, escape is impossible."

"Of course I do. But if you do imprison me then you'll never know how to stop the Downworlders who are marking themselves," Magnus answered, smiling sweetly to nail the hammer in. "An issue that I know you have been dealing with for quite some time now."

The Clave knew about the Downworlders? Then why weren't they trying to stop it? Or at least warning their soldiers that there were Downworlders in Idris, at the very least?

Malachi glowered angrily. "We could torture the information from you."

Alec's eyes widened. He hadn't noticed that he had taken a step forward until Jace planted a hand on his shoulder and held him back. Malachi looked past Magnus at Alec and turned his nose up. "Care to explain why you were sighted with this filth?" he asked.

"You cut me deep, Malachi, really. I thought we were friends," Magnus said drily, diverting attention away from Alec. "Alexander employed me to help him discover how the Downworlders were marking themselves. I was using my magic at his command, the arrangement was not of a casual nature."

"Why don't I believe you?" Malachi asked.

"What would you believe, exactly?" Isabelle asked, her voice annoyed and harsh.

"Maybe I'm not inclined to believe the Warlock's lies because Francesca, the Head of the Salou Institute, claimed to see the two being . . ." Malachi scowled " . . . intimate on Llevant Beach."

Alec could feel Jace's eyes burning into the side of his head but he forced himself to keep looking ahead. "We weren't being intimate," he snapped, shrugging Jace's hand off his shoulder and standing beside Magnus before Malachi.

"Do you really think one of your most valued Shadowhunters would do that sort of thing with the 'filth' like me?" Magnus asked.

Alec hated it being put like that. He ground his teeth together to force himself to keep a lid on the truth. That he and Magnus had been intimate on multiple occasions but none of those occasions being on Llevant Beach. "Aren't I on duty leave?" he asked.

Malachi cocked his head. "How is that going?"

"Fine," Alec answered tersely.

"Impregnated your woman yet?"

"Not yet."

"Why's that?"

"It just hasn't happened yet."

"Why not?"

"Babies aren't just conceived like miracles, sometimes it takes time."

"Have you even tried yet?"

"Of course I have."

"Why are you interrogating him like this? His leave isn't even over yet!" Isabelle barked angrily.

Malachi cocked an eyebrow. "Do you even have a woman, Alexander?"

Alec scowled. "Why would I take Leave if I didn't?"

"There have been some rumours."

Alec stared at Malachi, fear suddenly consuming him. "What sort of rumours?"

"Rumours that you are a," Malachi scowled, "a homo."

Alec gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to answer but was intercepted by Clary. "Malachi, what century are you living in?" she demanded, breaking away from Jace and pushing to the front of the group. "Homo? Really? If that is the only thing you're concerned about right now, with Downworlders intercepting Idris and a war going on outside this blooming City, then you don't deserve to be this Council's Consul. Why you've still got the job after cohorting with my father I'll never know!"

Alec gaped at Clary, unable to believe that she would come to his defence so fiercely. Malachi, however, was enraged. His face twisted angrily, whether it be because of Clary questioning his worthiness of his title or the mention of his alliance with her father, Valentine, and he lifted his hand. Alec realized with horror that he was going to slap her. With enough force to knock her to the ground.

It went in slow motion. Alec grabbed the back of Clary's jacket and dragged her backwards, pulling her behind him protectively just as Isabelle roared, "Don't fucking touch her she's pregnant!" Clary stumbled and the chain of her bracelet caught on one of Alec's gloves, causing it to catch and rip off just as he pulled his arm up to grab his seraph blade.

Malachi's hand didn't make it Alec's face, as just as it was inches away, Magnus' own hand snapped up, bright blue magic swirling around his fingertips and holding the Consul's arm frozen in the air. Alec was saved from the blow, but that wasn't Malachi's focus anymore.

Alec's glove was on the floor, with Clary's broken bracelet stuck to the fabric. His hand, which had been reaching for his blade, was in plain sight. Skin webbed and claws sharp as knives clear for the Consul to see. Alec stared at Malachi like a deer caught in headlights, feeling sick to his stomach as the Consul grinned sickeningly and said something that turned his gut.

"Got'cha."


	17. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malachi's reaction to Alec's hybrid genes is not what is expected. What he demands of him, however, is enough to cause the group to fall apart.

Malachi's eyes held a disturbing gleam. It wasn't the sort of gaze Alec had expected to be on the receiving end of if his Downworlder traits got revealed to another Shadowhunter. He had expected fear; disgust; horror. Not . . . amusement? Interest? Alec was bewildered by the way Malachi was looking at him and he actually took a step back, instinctively thinking that the man would take a lunge at him.

"Your hands are webbed," the Consul stated.

Alec didn't answer, snatching the glove back off the floor and stuffing his ugly hand back into it. Magnus let his hand fall, releasing Malachi's own hand. Jace had moved from the back of the group to the front, his chest heaving with a rage that threatened to spill over the sides. It was impressive that the blond was able to contain himself so well, considering that Malachi had been about to his girlfriend. His girlfriend, who he didn't know until a couple of moments prior, was pregnant.

"The mer-folk have webbed hands," Malachi pressed. "Shadowhunters don't have webbed hands. Explain yourself Lightwood."

"He doesn't have to answer to you," Isabelle spat.

"Oh but Miss Lightwood, he does," Malachi answered. There was a malicious intention behind his eyes that unseated Alec. "If, of course, I choose I could decide that your brother is of impure blood and have him sentenced to death immediately"-

"You know that's not true!" Jace barked angrily. "If it had been you'd have killed the entire Lightwood brood by now!"

Malachi tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Of course, if you explain to me what happened we could avoid any nasty business . . ."

Alec sighed, the sound laboured and tired, and sheathed his blade. "In Spain, there was a run in with some of the mer-folk"-

"So you admit that you were in Spain?" Malachi raised his eyebrows. Alec stared. Was he about to get tripped up before he even started? What was Malachi trying to do, exactly? Confuse him? Catch him doing something that breaks Clave rules?

"Part of our quest led us to Salou," Magnus answered, folding his arms with authority. "We were following a lead. That must have been what your nosey little head stuck her nose in on. Said lead took us the beach, where the mer-folk resided. Which was when . . ." He looked to Alec, beautiful feline eyes glistening as he nodded for him to continue his story.

"They kidnapped me. There was a scuffle and I . . ." Alec clenched his jaw, wishing there was a better way to tell Malachi this that would maybe soften the blow and, in turn, his sentence. "I consumed their blood by accident. As a result . . ." He lifted his gloved hands.

Malachi wasn't disgusted. In fact, he stepped closer, as if to have a closer look. Alec scowled, hating how the man was looking at him like some sort of object of intrigue. "Were there any other effects?" he asked. Alec reluctantly hooked his finger into the collar of his jacket and tugged it down, showing the Consul the holes in his neck that were now his gills. Malachi's breath caught. "Fascinating."

Isabelle stepped forward with concern. "How so?"

"If the Clave could cross Shadowhunter blood with Downworlder's, we could take over in this war," Malachi explained. He looked down his nose at Alec. "Of course, not mer-folk blood. What use are the mer-folk? I'm thinking more warlocks! The fey, maybe. We could use magic and cast spells, alongside our experience in combat!"

Magnus snorted. "You think magic is just something you can have?" he asked. "That once you are given the ability you can use it just like that? Cross yourself with a warlock and you're going to be blasting fireballs at your slippers."

Malachi's voice was like steel. "I'm willing to try it," he said firmly. "And you"-he pointed at Alec-"are going to help us do it."

"Am I?" Alec asked, confused.

"It's not a question. You will submit yourself to the Clave for testing. If we study your blood, we can begin experimenting with the warlocks we have in captivity," Malachi explained. "You'd be imprisoned for your treason, of course"-

"You'll have to fucking go through me first!" Isabelle barked, barrelling through the group and sizing up to Malachi. "There's been no treason here, Malachi, and you know it! Alec was working for the benefit of the Shadowhunters when he went to Spain with Magnus. He went to find out what was going on with the Downworlders marking themselves! What is your problem?!"

The Consul cocked his head. A sick smirk grew on his face, like the demented grin on a Halloween mask. "Maybe I don't like how you Lightwoods believe you're better than the rest of us just because your parents killed a lot of Downworlders and popped out a bunch of babies," he said. "Of course, if anyone asked me of this, I would deny it avidly."

Isabelle fell back on her heels. "So you're jealous," she stated. "Of our parents and their legacy."

Malachi scoffed. "Hardly a legacy," he said. "Actually, I find it positively hilarious that the eldest son of Maryse and Robert-the one who is supposed to carry the Lightwood name and continue the 'legacy'-turned out to be nothing more than a cowardly sympathiser." He sneered. "A homosexual one at that."

The sound of Isabelle's hand cracking across the Consul's face rang out in the empty room like a bullhorn. "Say it again," she said, her voice practically shaking with rage. "I dare you. Say it again."

Malachi didn't flinch. He had endured more than a smack before in his life, but nevertheless the skin of his cheek was turning pink. Alec grabbed Isabelle and drew her back, worried that Malachi would lift his hand to his sister the same way he lifted his hand to Clary. "Someone needs to teach you to control your temper, Miss Lightwood," the Consul sighed.

"You want to say something like that again? Fine, go ahead," Isabelle sneered. "I'll show you how much of my temper needs fucking controlled."

"Isabelle," Alec said, "it's not worth it."

Isabelle gave Malachi a scathing look and let Alec take over her again. As he passed, he heard her mutter, "Prick," under her breath.

"Crossing the blood won't work," Magnus informed Malachi. "Sure, it worked for Alec but not completely. If it had, he wouldn't be standing on his two legs right now. Trying to do it with a warlock would be worse. The most your Shadowhunters will get is our demonic mark." The way he said 'demonic' was with a voice that was completely devoid of emotion.

Alec swallowed hard, his heart flipping in his throat as he almost said out loud that Magnus' eyes were not demonic. They were gorgeous.

"And I know that you don't want that," Magnus said, smiling tightly.

Malachi shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Magnus shook his head. "You won't take Alexander."

Alec placed a concerned hand on Magnus' shoulder, not caring that Malachi noticed and turned his nose up at the action. "I'll go, if that's what it takes for him to leave my family alone," he said.

"No you won't, Alec," Jace snapped, glaring at the Consul. "It's not right!"

Malachi grinned. "Oh, but what about this woman you claim to be on Duty Leave with?" he asked, amusement lacing his tone. "Aren't you worried about leaving her behind?"

Alec glared at Malachi with a scowl that could stop a clock. "Don't pull that bullshit," he growled. "Not when I'm doing what you want."

"I'm just asking an honest question!" Malachi insisted.

Alec's fists shook as he resisted the strong urge to punch the Consul in the mouth. Magnus saw tears pressing at the back of the boy's eyes and his heart cracked in his chest. "There's no woman," Alec muttered.

"What?"

"There's no woman."

"You're going to have to speak up, boy."

"There never was a woman!" Alec exploded. "And you know damn well that there wasn't, I can see it in your eyes, you just enjoy making me squirm because of this hatred you have for my parents!"

Malachi placed a hand on his chest, feigning innocence. "Why isn't there a woman?"

Alec inhaled, grinding his teeth together to the point of crumbling away. "Because I'm gay, Malachi. Is that what you want to hear? There was never going to be a woman because I am a homosexual! There you go. Burn me at the stake if that's what you want to do. Have me tossed in jail or sacrificed in Raziel's name or whatever the hell you do to people like me, I don't care!"

Isabelle hugged Alec, burying her face into his jacket, trying to comfort him. She could feel his heart battering away against her ear and every breath he took was hard and made his chest heave with the effort. She was trying not to cry, because it wasn't her place to do so, but she hated seeing her brother so angry and upset.

"I'll get you for this," Jace told Malachi angrily. Clary, who had gone silent since Malachi almost slapped her, was biting her lip and trying not to cry. She clung to Jace's arm, her fingers digging almost painfully into his bicep. "I don't care how long it takes me but I'll fucking get you for this."

Malachi seemed amused by the drama. He watched the group fall apart at the seams with a beaming smile, like he fed off turmoil.

"Take me instead."

Alec's eyes widened with horror when Magnus spoke. The warlock exchanged a look with the Shadowhunter, a look of encouragement, trying to assure Alec that it was all going to be okay now.

"Take me instead," Magnus repeated, focusing on Malachi again. "I'm no hybrid but I'm a High Warlock. You could learn much from me."

"How do I know that this isn't a trap? You are magical after all," Malachi said suspiciously.

"Because I give you my word. And despite what some people seem to think, my word is my law," said Magnus.

"No, Magnus, you can't," Alec said, grabbing Magnus' arm defiantly. "You're not doing this for me, I'm not going to allow it."

Magnus laughed. "Oh you silly Nephilim, you must always have the last word," he said. He tried to look happy, like he didn't mind doing this, but Alec could see the fear behind the mask. "You have your family, people who care about you and need you. I don't have anyone who will miss me. It makes more sense."

Alec shook his head, fingers tightening around the warlock's arm rather than loosening. "It doesn't make any sense and I won't allow you to do it," he said.

"Nobody is taking anyone!" Jace snapped, surprising everybody by actually defending Magnus and his safety. He pointed at Malachi angrily. "This is all fucking bullshit and you know it! There's no need for any of this!" Malachi simply shrugged, making the blond Shadowhunter shout with frustration. He marched away, unable to control himself, and threw a bunch of chairs.

"It would be my honour," Magnus murmured to Alec, "to give my freedom in exchange for yours."

"I won't let you," Alec defiantly answered. "You won't go in my place. You mean too much to-Not when I just started to-You can't do this!"

Magnus touched Alec's face and gently said, "You have to let me go."

Alec shook his head, shutting his eyes as if the darkness would ward all of this away. Or somehow make this decision easier on him. "I can't," he croaked. Physically, his hand would not release Magnus' arm, like his body wouldn't allow this to happen either.

"Yes, you can," Magnus encouraged.

"There has to be another way," Isabelle pleaded with Malachi, who shook his head.

"Don't make me do this," Alec begged.

Magnus sighed. "Oh sweet Alexander, you were never going to be an easy one, were you?" The warlock leaned forward and connected their lips. It was quick, and Alec felt a spark against his mouth when their lips touched.

"What was that?" Panicked flared within Alec as he grew drowsy. "No, Magnus, you didn't!"

Magnus' gaze slipped past Alec to rest on Isabelle. "Look after him for me, okay?" he asked.

Isabelle' palm pressed to her mouth and she nodded mutely, tears swelling in her eyes.

Alec buckled. He held fast to Magnus' arm and grabbed the back of the warlock's neck as he tried to stay on his feet. The floor was beginning to spin and the room was turning into a blurry mass. Like watercolours running together. "I won't let go," the Shadowhunter said defiantly.

Magnus nodded, one of the most content smiles he had ever worn on his face. "I know you won't," he said. "You don't need to."

"Stop this nonsense!" Clary begged the Consul.

When the spell finally seized Alec's ability to stand, Magnus caught him and fell to his knees to cradle him against his body. "Please don't go," Alec begged helplessly. "Let me wake up and have you still here. This will be a dream and I'll wake up on the beach in Salou with you still beside me."

Magnus smiled. "Whenever the glitter catches the wind, think of me, eh?"

Alec couldn't hold on. The spell consumed him completely and his eyes flickered closed. Magnus released a shaky breath, pressing his chin against the top of the Shadowhunter's head as he forced himself to hold his composure. Alec's hand was still clamped around Magnus' arm, despite being unconscious, and prising it away made the warlock feel sick.

"Such dramatics," Malachi whistled.

"I'm going to hit him," Jace suddenly charged forward, only to be stopped by Clary holding him back.

"Nobody will do anything of the sort," Magnus said. He carefully laid Alec's sleeping body on the floor and stood up. "I'm going to go with him in Alexander's place."

Isabelle hugged Magnus. "Thank you," she said, her voice sounded like a rush of breath, "for saving him."

Magnus patted her head. "He's worth it."

"You barely know him," Malachi scoffed, like the whole concept was idiotic.

Magnus looked down on the Consul as Isabelle released him. "At least Alexander and I weren't forced together to procreate like most of your people's couples," he sneered. "Now come on, take me where ever you're taking me. If I stay in this room any second longer I'll be tempted to portal myself and Alexander away from here."

Isabelle, Jace and Clary watched the Consul take Magnus away. Isabelle looked away, unable to watch, and moved to sit by her brother's body. She brushed his hair back from his face. She couldn't get the look he had from his face as he clung to Magnus out of her head. She had always wanted him to be happy, in whatever form that happiness came from.

Now it seemed that any ounce of happiness he had gained had been ripped him his reach.

Isabelle gathered Alec into her arms, allow herself to cry now that the Consul was gone and her brother wouldn't see it. "I'm sorry," she whispered into Alec's chest. "I'm so, so sorry."


	18. Going it Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec awakens from the spell Magnus put on him. It's been a week, and without the aid of the warlock's magic to help him breathe, Alec is in more trouble than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologise that this chapter is so short, but at the time of writing it I had RSI (repetitive strain injury) from typing too much so I couldn't write long chapters for a while. I still like this one, though, despite its length. It's set up for what's to come.

Alec woke with a heavy weight against his chest. When he forced his tired eyes open and scanned his surroundings, there was nothing sitting on him; which had been his first thought when he felt the almost breath taking force against his body. His gaze slid out of focus when he tried to sit up and his head swirled as if his brain had been hollowed out, making him practically pass out against the floor again.

"Alec?"

Alec grunted in response. Well, at least he thought he did. He wasn't sure what he was doing at the moment, he was so bewildered.

"It's Isabelle, just stay still, the spell may need a moment to completely wear off," Isabelle said carefully. Spell? What did she mean spell? Alec felt fingers against his face, maybe brushing his hair out of the way, but it felt almost numbing. "Are you feeling okay? Do you feel sick? I don't know anything about spells!" The latter sentence sounded like it was being spoken to someone else in the room rather than directly to Alec.

"Alec, are you okay?" A different voice-definitely Jace-inquired.

"The room is spinning and I can't stop it," Alec plainly answered, blue eyes wide and staring at the ceiling above him which, thankfully, was beginning to slow down. He forced his eyes shut and breathed in deep, releasing it slowly and easing the pain in his chest. He was struggling-worse than any type of struggle he'd had after battling demons-to catch his breath.

"Oh Angel, that's right, Magnus helped him breathe!" Isabelle exclaimed. "What do we do?!"

Alec's eyes snapped open. It was like the sound of Magnus' name triggered everything. Malachi's threat . . . Wanting to try to cross Shadowhunters with Warlocks and using Alec's blood as a means of doing so. Magnus stepping in and taking Alec's place. The spell, making Alec pass out . . . When the glitter catches the wind . . .

Oh hell no.

Alec tried to clamour to his feet but, not realising that he had been moved, fell over the edge of what seemed to be a bed. Punctuated by Isabelle's yelp of surprise, he landed on his hands and knees on the floor. Steeling himself, he forced himself back up. Standing was difficult, as the ground was still slowly moving beneath him and the weight had become a ball of lead inside of his chest. Now standing upright, he noticed that his throat was on fire. Like he swallowed a chilli and hadn't bothered to drink some milk after ward. There was a tickle and an instant later he coughed, the action nearly blowing him off his feet again if it weren't for Jace appearing by his side and catching hold of him.

"How long have I been out?" Alec croaked, taking in his surroundings. He was back in his bedroom in Idris. His heart was pounding with fear inside of him, making him feel sick and uneasy. If they had had time to take him back to the Lightwood home in Idris then how long had Magnus been Malachi's prisoner for?

Isabelle rose from where she had been seated at the top of his bed. Her face was pale and she wore a grievous expression. "About a week," she murmured.

Alec could have passed out again right there on the spot if he hadn't propelled himself to the closest wall and pressed his back against it for support. A splash of red caught his eye. Lifting his hand, he saw that the webs of his fingers were covered in blood. He had covered his mouth with this hand when he had coughed. Isabelle's eyes widened.

"You're bleeding," she said.

"It's my throat," Alec coughed, every syllable feeling like a fresh scratch to his trachea.

"It's because Magnus isn't here to help you breathe," Jace deducted. "You haven't been having your doses of magic since . . . well . . . you know."

Not caring about himself in the slightest, Alec turned and threw his bedroom door open. "I have to find Magnus," he said under his breath. A firm hand clamped onto his shoulder, dragging him back into the room. Alec inhaled slowly, clenching his fists and forcing himself to remain calm. When he lifted his eyes to meet whoever was holding him back, he was met with the golden irises of his parabatai.

"You're not going alone," Jace said, his voice strong and firm. "I will not allow you to put yourself in danger like this. Especially not while you're in this state."

"I got myself into this problem," Alec said pointedly. "It was me who followed Magnus, not you or Isabelle or even Clary. It was me who allowed myself to be involved with a Downworlder and yes-if you must know-develop feelings for that Downworlder." He straightened up, trying to enforce the authority of the eighteen year old man he was, and said, "Stay. Put. Jace."

"I'm coming too," Isabelle declared. Alec looked at her with exasperation but she remained firm, just as stubborn as Jace on the matter. "You're not going back there alone. Malachi mightn't be as lenient this time. If you go alone he could capture you and then what would that achieve?"

Alec could see that Isabelle was not going to budge on the matter. He sighed, and looked at Jace pleadingly. "You didn't want to involve yourself with Magnus," he said. "What changed?"

Jace's eyes held a hard resolve. "I still don't like him," he said, almost as if he were trying to reassure Alec of this. "But he sacrificed himself for you. That should be my job, not his. I owe him one."

Alec had never heard Jace speak in such a way in relation to their parabatai bond. He had always thought that he took the bond more seriously than Jace ever did. Alec had never been bitter about it, nor had he held any animosity towards Jace because of this. He had always believed that it was a common consensus that he needed Jace more than Jace needed him. Maybe he had been wrong all along . . .

"Please stay here and keep Isabelle out of trouble," Alec pleaded.

Jace shook his head. "I can't do that," he said regretfully. "I have to come with you. If Clary wasn't so exhausted, I would have gotten her to do it, but she is and I can't. I'm coming with you, Alec."

Isabelle, not too fond of being talked about like she was a liability, stepped forward with determination. "Me too."

Alec sighed. He looked to the floor and shook his head. He was touched that his family were willing to put themselves on the line for him. Even if the mission wasn't wholly necessary, they were still wanting to go with him to protect him. They wanted to help get Magnus back because it was something Alec dearly wanted. They didn't need reasons or motives. The fact that this was something Alec felt he needed to do was reason enough.

However, it wasn't their job to protect him. It was his job to protect them.

"Right," said Alec, stepping back from Jace. "Okay. You can come. Just . . . just let me go to the bathroom and see if sticking my head in the water will save my throat some pain."

Alec moved away from the door and staggered down the stairs, leaving Jace and Isabelle behind to wait for him to come back. Neither thought to question why he was going to the second floor bathroom when he had a sink in his room. Not until it was too late, anyway.

He fell against the door frame and pushed his way through. Whatever spell Magnus had cast on him, it was taking a long time to leave his system. Maybe that was the point.

Locking the door, Alec threw himself to the sink, shaky hands turning the taps to get the water flowing. He cupped his hands underneath and threw the water that gathered there at the gills in his neck. He didn't care that he soaked the neck line of his sweater, the relief that the water provided was so good he almost moaned with appreciation. It dampened the burn in his throat, as well, and Alec concluded that he had spent too long without water or the aid of Magnus' touch.

He didn't have time to ponder on it or Jace and Isabelle would come knocking. Rummaging around the room, Alec retrieved a plastic bottle, which he quickly filled with water. Then he pushed his sleeve up his arm and flipped his stele out of his boot, twirling it around his fingers until the tip sat on his forearm. He carved a soundless rune into his skin, so that his siblings wouldn't hear his movements anymore.

Stuffing his stele back into his boot and the bottle into the back of his trousers so it was pressed against his back, Alec moved to the bathroom window and unlatched it. It popped open easily and he pushed it as far as it would go, causing the cold night air to rush into the room. Alec propped his boot up against the rim of the bath so he was supported and lifted his weight up, propelling himself at the high window with the aided momentum.

Alec grabbed the open window and struggled to hold himself up in his weakened state. Using all the strength he could muster, he threw himself up and over the edge, so he was on the other side. The biting night air slipped through the holes in his sweater but he barely noticed as he pulled the window shut again and turned himself around to stand with his back against the window.

Directly below him was a bush. Thankfully, since he was on the second floor instead of the attic room, the fall wouldn't be as precarious, however there was still a large chance of injury if the fall was not executed correctly. There were no other ledges and the flanking houses weren't close enough to jump to.

Looking up at the stars, Alec was reminded of the night he sat in the doorway with Magnus. The night when Magnus had comforted him and they had shared their first kiss. Alec sucked in a breath and, with ferocious tenacity, growled, "I'm coming Magnus."

He jumped.


	19. Saving Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec knows now what he wants and he'll be damned if he'll let the Shadowhunters take it from him.

It was a long walk to the jail, one that Alec had not walked very often. Alec knew where they were keeping Magnus. As a solider, he had been briefed on where captured Downworlders were kept and where they were . . . tortured. 

So help him if they had laid a hand on Magnus Alec was going to cause a riot.

It was baffling how, in a handful of days, Magnus had managed to turn everything Alec had been raised to believe on its head. Maybe it was only a matter of time, for Alec had always felt like there was something wrong with what he was doing. How every death he caused plagued his mind like a disease; how he scrubbed his hands raw yet could still see the blood; how nothing seemed to ever fix the crippling guilt being a murderer caused. All it took was meeting Magnus, and realising that, in reality, Downworlders were just like the Shadowhunters. Except, in Magnus' case, a lot less interested in the fight.

Like Alec, Magnus just wanted this whole ordeal to end.

Once the war commenced, and Shadowhunters began to take any and every Downworlder they captured prisoner, a new jail had to be fortified in Idris. The initial prison had filled up too fast, in that small period of time where Shadowhunters had actually had the upper hand, and a second one had to be built. Alec knew the location of both, but assumed that Magnus would be held in the second, as the first was now used for prisoners they had no use for. Alec hated to think about it, but Malachi had many uses for Magnus.

Alec climbed up the hill that the Wall stood on top of. Beyond the hill, the prison stood, looking like a dark, haunted castle shrouded in the gloom of the night. Alec felt his stomach flip. Magnus could be in there. Somehow, thinking about such a bright character as Magnus being held in such a horrible place made Alec feel sick. He trusted in Magnus' resolve to remain cheery, he just hoped that the dark; dank; dreariness of that place didn't dampen Magnus and his determination.

Alec had to walk along the full length of the Wall to be able to cross over and get off the other side of the hill. The amount of names, carved in small print into the plaques, blurred into one another as he moved, becoming a flurry of names and dates of birth and death. All the Shadowhunters who had died for this cause and what had it achieved? Nothing but endless years of destruction.

Alec paused when he happened upon a particular stretch of the Wall. There was an entire section dedicated to the Lightwoods, all of their names down the line until the very first Lightwood who died when the City of Bones became obsolete. Despite everything, as Alec's blue eyes slid down the hundreds of names of his ancestors, when they landed on the final two, he couldn't help feeling a pang in his chest.

Maryse Lightwood

Robert Lightwood

If they were alive now, Alec knew that his parents would be disappointed in him. Not only was he breaking every Clave law by going to break Magnus out of jail, but he had been doing so ever since they had met each other. If he had been like his parents, Alec would have shot Magnus on the spot. However, he couldn't do it. Maybe it was because he was a sympathiser, but if being a sympathiser meant doing the right thing then Alec would rather be known as just that.

Fingering the slopes of the letters in his parent's names, Alec murmured, "If I let you down, I'm sorry. I don't regret what I've done-or what I'm about to do-nor do I really feel think it's apology worthy. My actions will no doubt taint the Lightwood name and if I die my body will be thrown into a ditch somewhere where the rest of the Sympathisers go. I would rather have that, I think, than have my name etched here so the future generations know that I was a cold blooded killer."

Alec stepped back from the wall, consuming every Lightwood name on the plaque. Every single one of them had killed Downworlders, believing that they were doing the right thing. Maybe dying for a cause you believed in was better than dying for something you didn't. Alec didn't know if this was true. If the cause involved mass murder; torture of innocents; and hundreds of years of death and destruction, did that expression still stand?

"I'm sorry I couldn't be what you wanted me to be," Alec said, somehow not feeling ridiculous for talking to names on a wall. Thankfully it was past curfew, and there was nobody around to witness his madness. "But this is what I want to do, and no family legacy is going to change that."

Without looking back, Alec passed the Lightwood sector of the Wall.

He jogged the rest of the way, rounding the end of the wall and sliding down the back of the hill. The ground was slippery, Alec guessed that it must have rained recently, and he nearly fell once he reached the bottom. Inwardly cursing, Alec righted himself, pulling his jacket off quickly and using his stele to mark on an equilibrium rune. He was breathless already, which wasn't a good sign. Without Magnus' magic, he had half the stamina he was used to having. He added a stamina rune to his other arm and slotted his stele back into his boot.

Alec pulled the bottle of water out of the back of his pants, taking a drink and dabbing some onto the gills in his neck. It worked, to some extent, and he only hoped he could find the strength to keep moving and find Magnus before he suffocated. Alec stuffed the water back into his pants and started moving again, tying his jacket around his waist again and crossing the massive field to where the isolated prison stood.

There was a massive moat surrounding the prison, filled to the brim with water. The night was still, so quiet that Alec worried that his breathing was too loud. During the day, even from a distance, you could sometimes hear the screams of the tortured. Night-time, however, was always terrifyingly silent, like everyone had simply died and the castle was now empty.

There were barred windows all over the castle, each one probably an accessory to the cells beyond, taunting the prisoners with a view of the outside world. Alec began to walk around the perimeter of the castle, softly calling Magnus' name in the hopes that the warlock would hear him and alert him to which cell he was in.

The thing about the Shadowhunters was that they were cocky. They believed that every single one of their warriors were loyal to the war, so they never saw a point in having guards on duty outside their prisons. The only people who would-in theory-want to break the Downworlders out would be other Downworlders, who could never set foot in Idris anyway.

"Magnus? Can you hear me?" Alec called. "It's Alec!"

He was three quarters of the way around the castle when he heard a response. "Alexander?" A second later, a set of cat's eyes appeared in the blackness of one of the barred windows. Magnus leaned closer, and the moonlight served as lighting, making the warlock's face more visible. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm going to break you out of here," Alec replied.

"You can't do that Alexander!" Magnus exclaimed.

"I can and I will!"

"If you do, you'd have to go on the run! You'd never get to see your family again, unless you were willing to put them in danger!"

In a way, Alec had known his. Malachi would know who broke Magnus out and would surely call for Alec's head. If his family were caught harbouring him-which Isabelle would insist upon doing if she knew the circumstances-they would be killed for treason. Breaking Magnus out would mean that Alec would have to sacrifice his role in the war, and leave Idris forever, leaving everyone and everything behind.

Alec believed in his family. He believed in their capability to carry on without him. Sure, they would grieve, but they were strong. They would move on, and hopefully remember him for the good things he had done, and not the trouble he had caused them. Doing what was right overruled a lot of things and in freeing Magnus, Alec hoped that Isabelle and Max would remember him in a positive light.

"They'll know I'm alive," Alec said confidently. "Jace will always be aware of that part of me that is a part of him, and how it is alive even when I'm not there. They were going to come with me, and they too understood the risks. I didn't want the burden of going on the run on their shoulders, so I left on my own. They will grow to understand, eventually."

"I'm not worth all this trouble, Alexander," said Magnus.

Alec smiled up at the warlock, feeling a strange surge of contentment. "You'll grow to learn that that is not true."

He stepped forward and dropped into the water.

Alec felt an almost orgasmic surge pulsate through his body as soon as he submerged. He gasped, his back bending outwards. It was impossible how good it felt, to be underwater again for the first time since Laguna and Caspian captured him. Alec catapulted forward, and dug his claws into the outer wall of the castle, trying to come down from the high that the water created so he could focus on his mission.

He threw his head back out of the water, his airways clear and no longer burning. He couldn't see the window Magnus was at anymore, and called, "Are you still there?"

"Alexander Lightwood, you are mad!" Magnus hissed back.

Alec chuckled, remembering how often he had called Magnus that when they first met. "So you say," he replied.

Alec began to climb the wall.

Being underwater seemed to have caused his claws to strengthen, as Alec could now use them to dig into the stone wall and support his weight with. It was difficult for his boots to find purchase, but he scrabbled until the toes found something to rest on, whether it be an uneven brick or a small branch that had grown out between the concrete. It was hard work, but the water that clung to his skin and hair empowered him, giving him the drive to force himself up to the fourth window up, which was where he had seen Magnus.

Once he reached the window, he reached out blindly for something to grab hold of. He found the window ledge and threw his arm over it, so it was half way in, half way out of the cell. Alec heaved himself up and grabbed one of the bars with his other hand, so he was now dangling precariously outside the cell.

Magnus stood inside. Alec almost let go by accident, he was so heartbroken by the warlock's appearance. Magnus' coat was nowhere to be seen and his shirt and pants where scruffy and dirty. He didn't seem to be wearing shoes and there was a dark bruise under his right eye. "Magnus," Alec said, his voice sounding like a rush of air.

Magnus silenced him with a wave of his finger. "I know," he chastised. "I would kill for a make-up palette right about now."

Alec noticed that Magnus' hands were chained together and completely enclosed in steel. Malachi must do that to the warlocks, to ensure that they don't use magic to escape. "You look wonderful," said Alec, his voice deadly serious. No sarcasm. No joking tone. Just pure honesty.

Magnus stalked over to the window, chains dragging on the ground behind him. "You're a liar," he smirked, before leaning through the gaps in the bars and kissing Alec's lips.

Alec was so lost in the kiss that when Magnus pulled away he almost let go. Remembering his situation, he tightened his grip, and said, "I think I can separate these if I just . . ." He slung his arm back out again and gripped the other bar in his hand. He planted his feet firmly against the wall and pushed his body into the wall, channelling all his strength into his hands and arms as he pulled against the bars.

Maybe it was the water helping him out a little, coupled with his ordinary strength, but the bars separated easier than he predicted they would. He created a gap big enough for him to slip through, and he clamoured awkwardly into Magnus' cell, yelping when he all but fell through the gap onto the floor.

"You're so awkward, darling," Magnus laughed.

Alec rolled onto his back and stumbled to his feet. Relief flooded through him as he stood before Magnus again, and he remembered the fear he had felt when the warlock had put him to sleep. Even though they were supposed to be in a hurry, and get out as fast possible, he couldn't help it when he drifted to Magnus and hugged him tight.

Magnus was surprised. He knew Alec was probably emotionally charged, and he wished he could return the hug, especially when Alec buried his face into his neck and murmured, "I'm so glad I found you."

"It's okay," Magnus murmured back, knowing it was no time for jokes or sarcasm.

"Just so you know," said Alec, pulling back slightly, "you are worth everything."

Magnus' eyes glistened but, knowing that there was little time, forced his emotions in check. They shared another kiss, but it was quick, due to the strained amount of time they had. Alec grabbed the chains restraining Magnus, lips tingling from their kiss, and ripped them away from the metal encasing his hands.

"I'm going to put a strength rune on," Alec told Magnus. "Considering how strong the water from the moat has made me, giving myself just that little bit more might be enough for me to free your hands."

Magnus watched Alec take his jacket off and lift up his shirt, keeping any inappropriate comments to himself for later use when they weren't in peril. Alec marked the strength rune into his side and deposited his stele back into his boot.

"Hold your hands out for me," Alec instructed. When Magnus did so, Alec, enclosed his fingers around the warlock's thin wrists. "I'm going to pull, like I did with the window bars, so you should probably brace yourself."

Magnus nodded and did just that, steadying himself where he stood. "Be gentle with me now, darling," he grinned, a teasing lilt to his voice.

Alec smiled back. "I can't make any promises."

When he started to pull, it felt like the metal wasn't going to give. He pulled and pulled but it seemed hopeless. Alec kept pushing himself just that little bit harder, practically holding his breath to stop it from distracting him. He couldn't tell whether he was beginning to sweat or if it was the water from the moat still lingering on his skin. Alec refused to give up, even when his arms cramped, and-bit by bit-the metal began to tear.

"Alec," Magnus said, though his voice sounded distant, "Alexander, give yourself a minute to regain your stren"-

Alec's head was beginning hurt and he could practically feel every single vein in his body bulging outwards with the strain. With a final yell, Alec ripped the metal apart, and instantly collapsed against Magnus with exhaustion. The warlock caught him, using his magic to provide himself with some strength to hold the boy without dropping him. No words could describe the relief Magnus felt now that his hands were free and he could use his magic again. Losing his ability to make magic made him feel like a piece had been taken from him and there had been nothing but a gaping hole left behind.

It was only a matter of time before the wardens who patrolled Idris for people who broke curfew heard the ruckus and came to investigate. Magnus supported Alec with one arm and clicked his fingers, blue sparks fluttering from his tips like butterflies. "What did you do?" Alec asked, voice weighted down with fatigue.

"I just released every warlock from their bindings," Magnus grinned, slinging Alec's arm over his shoulder and hobbling to the window. "They'll be able to portal to freedom now."

Alec smiled and straightened himself. His chest still heaved and his knees felt slightly knobbly but he found the strength to stand on his own. They were standing by the open window, the breeze that seeped in unsettling their hair and clothes. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"With you?" Magnus looked outside and Alec followed his gaze. The stars littered the night sky, tiny glowing beacons in the darkness. Magnus looked back at Alec, who's skin glowed satin white in the moonlight, and turned his face back to his own. "Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Just a quick note to say that I might be camping next week (weather depending) so I might not be able to update this next Monday, it may be the following. We'll just have to see how things play out (:


	20. We are The Constellation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec must leave his family behind, but not before visiting the house once last time.

Alec sat on the windowsill of the Lightwood house, slightly out of sight of the window, in a crouched position. Inside the house, he could see his sister, tearing the room apart and screaming at Jace to do something. His parabatai didn't know what to say her, or how to even admit what they had been told to himself, and simply stood there, completely baffled. Clary was the only one seated, hands sealed protectively over her bump and eyes welded shut as if she could blot out Isabelle's screaming entirely. Seeing Isabelle so hurt like that made Alec want to climb through the window right there and then to do something about it. He forced himself to stay put though, and remain in the shadows.

The officer from the prison stood in the doorway, his face remorseful. Alec had never thought that they would tell his family that he was dead; that he died trying to break Magnus out of prison. Yet, somehow the Clave seemed to be one step ahead, and a representative reached the Lightwood home before Magnus and Alec had done, abolishing any possibility of Alec saying goodbye to his family. When the rep left, he could go into the house and tell them the truth, but what would that achieve? He would have to leave again so they would be safe. The Clave may be telling them that he's dead, but the Clave knew full well that he wasn't and would most likely be already searching for him.

In fact, this representative could very well have been sent to scope the house on the off chance that Alec and Magnus were there. Maybe the fact that they made it there first had been a stroke of luck, because if they had been in the house and then the rep arrived . . . Who knew what could have happened, catching Isabelle, Clary, and Jace in the crossfire.

"Have you changed your mind?"

Alec looked up. Magnus was crouched on the roof of the house, feline eyes standing out against the dark the way they always did. A flush of familiarity rushed through Alec and he looked back through the window at his family. Isabelle had stopped trashing the room and had collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"It wouldn't even matter if I had," Alec murmured. "I have to keep them safe. And in keeping them safe, I must stay away."

"You don't have to do this," Magnus reminded him. "I can leave now and you won't be implicated."

Alec smiled, the idea of Magnus still worrying about him making him feel even more determined to go through with what he had originally planned. "I've made my decision," he said firmly. "Izzy is strong; she'll be able to cope without me. She has always been protective of Max, too, and I trust in her ability to look after him as well. The fact that she thinks I'm gone might even encourage her to do what is right."

"The true question is: What is right?" Magnus murmured quietly.

Alec turned away from the window, unable the bear seeing his sister so distressed anymore. He clambered onto the roof and sat down beside Magnus. "Equality, I guess?" he said, despite how ridiculously cheesy it sounded. Why did it get to the point where saying 'equality' was cheesy anyway? "It's about time someone told the Shadowhunters that they can't treat the Downworlders the way they do, and similarly the Downworlders need to stop lashing out and breaking laws just to try to prove points."

"The law is hard but it's the law," Magnus reminded Alec, his voice teasing.

"Bullshit," Alec muttered. "The law shouldn't be hard; it should be easy. It should be easy and agreeable and benefit every group in this society, minority or not. If we weren't going on the run, maybe I would try to start something. An underground movement maybe, I don't know . . ."

"You still could," said Magnus. "You could go back home once that rep leaves."

Alec shook his head firmly. "I'm not leaving you. I've made my decision on that matter." He sighed and looked to Magnus with a tired smile. "Someone needs to keep you out of trouble, anyways."

Magnus laughed. "Aren't you worried about your family, though? Even the tiniest bit?"

"I always worry about my family," said Alec. "I don't see a time in my life where I won't worry about them. However, it's about time I stopped sheltering them. Isabelle is old enough to stand up for herself and Jace has always made it clear that he would make his own decisions in the end. Clary, well, I can't say much about Clary, and as for Max . . . I've always had impeccable faith in Max. Somehow, I've always known that he's going to be okay."

"Maybe the war will be over by the time he's old enough to understand," Magnus said.

"Maybe. I hope so."

Alec sighed. He folded his arms and held onto his elbows tightly. "What about the Downworlders? The ones marking themselves?" he asked.

Magnus shrugged. "The Clave clearly know about them, but haven't been able to think about anything to do. As far as I can tell, though, they haven't done any harm. Maybe-and this is just me spitting out random ideas, feel free to dispose them at any point-they don't mean to do you any harm. I had a lot of time to think in that cell, and maybe they just wanted to integrate and find somewhere they could feel safe?"

Alec felt guilty. If that were true, then the Shadowhunters had driven the Downworlders to pretty extreme lengths just to feel safe. Even if the Downworlders had the upper hand, that didn't mean that they felt any safer than the Shadowhunters. At least Idris was semi-fortified. What did Downworlders have? Nothing but spaced out, unprotected hide outs.

"You could be right," Alec murmured.

"It's not your fault," Magnus reminded Alec. "You are the one doing the right thing. You're the one who's been doing the right since the very beginning . . ."

"I may have spared you, Magnus, but I have murdered before," Alec reminded Magnus. "I've fought in battles. I've killed Downworlders. Have I been doing the right thing recently? Sure. But since the beginning? No. Maybe I deserve to be thought of as dead. Maybe my family are better off without me."

Magnus reached across the small space between them and wrapped his hand around Alec's. "Remember, there's your parabatai bond with Jace," he reminded him, "maybe they'll always know that you're out there somewhere. Safe. The Clave's lie won't uphold itself for long. In fact, Jace is probably waiting for them to leave right now to tell Isabelle the truth. At least he has the sense to know to wait until the rep has left. Calling them out on the lie could end catastrophically and it's good that he recognises that. I've underestimated his intelligence, to be perfectly honest."

Alec stared at their joined hands, a newfound hope having swollen in his chest. "I hope you're right," he said.

"I'm always right, it's part of my charm."

Alec chuckled and shook his head. "Of course, how could I have forgotten?"

Magnus saw how miserable Alec was. Understandably, too, after the distress he had just witnessed his family being put under. The warlock released the Shadowhunter's hand and stretched his fingers outwards, allowing a swirl of blue sparkles gather and whirl in the palm of his hand.

"Glitter?" Alec frowned dubiously.

Magnus pulled a face. "I wish," he answered. He moved his other hand to rest above the swirls and pressed his palms together, condensing the magic so it moved between both appendages. He proceeded to write the names of Alec's family members with his fingertips, so they appeared in the air momentarily before forming into a shapeless cloud again.

"What are you doing?" Alec asked curiously.

After finishing the 'a' on Clary's full name, (having written Isabelle, Max, and Jace prior), and allowing the shapeless form of the cloud of magic to form again, Magnus pushed both hands upwards, allowing the blue magic to dissolve into the air. Alec watched with fascination as the tiny pinpricks of glitter took to the air, each one almost looking like it was becoming a star in the sky.

"What did you just do?" Alec asked.

Magnus dusted his hands off. "I just put a protection spell on your family," he said. "No matter where they are, day or night, the sky will always look after them." As if to prove his point, Magnus waved his hand, and the glitter that had previously sat in the palms of his hands reappeared and joined together in the air to form the names of his family members again.

Isabelle.

Jace.

Max.

Clarissa.

"It can't ward off death, nothing can do that," Magnus explained. "It does, however, offer protection and guidance to them when they feel low or afraid. Almost like you're still there, supporting them as you always did."

Alec stared at the sky with awe, beads of water gathering in his eyes. Nothing meant more to him than ensuring the safety of his family, and Magnus had just given him exactly that. "I don't know what to say," he said.

"You don't have to say anything. You put everything on the line for me, Alexander," said Magnus. "Nobody has ever done that for me before. I've always been selfish; I always wanted that if it came down to me or the world that someone would choose me. However, I never expected it to actually happen. This is my way of thanking you for giving me something I never thought someone like me would ever deserve."

Alec looked to the warlock, never having expected to hear such vulnerable words come from his mouth. The Shadowhunter took Magnus' hand and kissed it, closing his eyes to savour the moment. Magnus smiled and drew Alec close, both of them huddled on the roof in the middle of the night and feeling like they could both sit there forever.

"Are you ready to go?" Magnus eventually asked, his voice hushed as to not disturb the moment.

Alec nodded. They stood up together and Magnus prepared a portal. While he worked, Alec looked back to the sky, where the names were beginning to fade back into the night. He smiled, because he knew that they weren't gone forever, and would return sometime soon when his family needed them the most.

When the portal opened, blistering bright light making Magnus' face look as youthful as ever. "After you," the warlock said, stepping back to allow Alec passage.

"What's beyond it?" asked Alec.

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know. Isn't that exciting?"

Alec leaned forward and kissed Magnus, both of them smiling so wide that their teeth clashed together. Still holding Magnus' hand, he stepped into the portal, both of them moving on to begin their new lives.

Together.

A moment later, Isabelle appeared at the window while Jace showed the Clave representative out. She pulled it open and leaned out, staring at the sky with bright brown eyes. Her heart felt like it had been forced up her throat and tears were soaking her face, as hard as she tried to keep them at bay. Somehow, she couldn't believe that Alec was gone. It didn't feel like he was. She always believed that, if Alec died in battle, she would know. She would feel like a piece of her was gone. And that hadn't happened.

Isabelle searched the sky, like it could provide her with an answer. She frowned and leaned further out.

For a millisecond, the stars had almost seemed to align themselves to spell out, not only her own name, but the name of her family as well. Including the biggest of them all, standing at the top of the list of stars, like the protector, and a rush of relief washed over. Almost like a promise that everything was going to be okay.

Alexander Lightwood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Only the epilogue now, guys! :D


	21. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it all ends . . .

Epilogue

It only took fifteen years for the war to end after that.

Isabelle found it rather odd that, a war that had been raged centuries ago, could fall apart so quickly. All because of one chink in the armour. A chink that once it appeared, Isabelle grabbed with both her hands and began to chip away at. She, Jace, Clary and eventually Max all worked on making that chink wider, making it not chink any longer but a vulnerability instead. They would not let the Clave reform and fix itself. They took the mistakes they made and used it against them.

The mistake the Clave made having been trying to get rid of Alec.

Of course, Alec had died in the Clave's eyes. Or so they told Isabelle anyway. But it didn't take long for that story to fall apart. Jace knew. Of course he knew. You can't convince a Shadowhunter that their parabatai is dead. It's not possible. They would be the first to know. The fact that the Clave had tried to convince Isabelle that her brother was dead enraged her. It was the incentive she needed to give up on the war completely. To decide that no, that was not going to be the world she raised Max in. This would not be the world Clary was going raise her baby in. This was not how Idris was going to be anymore.

Isabelle created an underground movement. It took about three years to gather enough people, Shadowhunter and Downworlder alike, but once their numbers were high enough, they began raising hell. Isabelle as their leader, ensured the safety of them all, whether they be Shadowhunter or Werewolf or Vampire or Fey. She made sure to protect them all, something the Clave failed to do. The mass acceptance that Isabelle gave; the level of equality and justice she expressed; made her the perfect leader. One that everyone began to drift towards, even those who had been previously loyal to the fight and the Clave.

Throughout the fifteen years it took the underground movement to win, a day did not pass where Isabelle didn't think about her brother. At first, it had been hard. When she returned to the New York Institute to collect Max and her younger brother asked where Alec was, Isabelle couldn't answer him. She could barely face him. Clary had to explain to him that Alec was away, and would not come back for a while. As it grew easier to think about him again, Isabelle always reminded Max about Alec, and how they were doing all of this in his name. When he was older, Max, despite the teachings of the Shadowhunters, didn't bat an eyelash when Isabelle explained that Alec had fallen in love with a warlock and had to run away to protect them.

"So he was protecting us?" Max had asked, admiration shining in his big eyes. He hugged Isabelle when she nodded, seeing that she had been getting choked up again, and held her tight. Nothing else had to be said.

Clary gave birth to a healthy baby girl nine months after Alec disappeared. She and Jace decided to name her Emily. Clary was a natural mother and, due to the maternal instincts she gained through pregnancy, she began to care for any children that were orphaned or left alone when their parents went out to fight. She became a second mother without really thinking about it and raised Emily alongside many Downworlder children.

There were many battles and many deaths. The war was hard, even with the underground movement fighting against it, and bringing down the Clave had not been an easy feat. Malachi was not an easy man to sway and, even when Isabelle stormed the Glass City with Jace and a vampire named Simon by her side, he still tried to convince her that Alec was dead. He still tried to convince Jace that Alec was dead. Maybe the war had driven Malachi to lunacy, for once they infiltrated the Glass City, it was game over and even he knew it. Jace barely exerted himself capturing the Consul and Malachi did not flinch as Isabelle threw her Seraph blade above her head and growled five words:

"This is for my brother."

Because it was true. Isabelle did it all for Alec. Where-ever he was, she hoped that he knew what she was doing, how she was fighting in his name, and in Magnus', to stop the war.

When the war ended, Isabelle didn't know what to do with herself. Peace was such a strange concept and getting it had been such a fight she hadn't prepared herself for what life would be like once they got it. For a while, she just wandered, feeling completely lost. Every day she wished Alec were here to see it. She knew that the news of the war ending must have reached him but what was the use if she couldn't be there to experience the joy with him?

Max went to the human world and started attending mundane university, studying languages and culture so he could travel. Isabelle could understand this as her younger brother had always been fenced in, ever since he was child, and it was partly her fault. Now that he was free, he wanted to see everything.

Isabelle hadn't meant to fall in love. She had always sworn that she would not do it; for it was basically giving someone else an advantage over you that they could so easily break. However, when Max went to university and Clary and Jace were too busy raising Emily and their newest baby boy James who was just learning how to walk, Isabelle grew very lonely. That had been fine with her, until she began seeing more and more of Simon.

Simon had been one of the first to join the underground movement. He had been a mundane but the vampires recruited him for the war without his consent. Not only was he a vampire, but he was also a Daylighter, a very rare but not unheard of thing. Isabelle had always known that he had a crush on her but she had never expected herself to fall for him too. The stupid Daylighter somehow wheedled his way in. Simon knew of everything Isabelle had went through, including the loss of Alec, and had offered a shoulder when the war ended, because he knew what it felt like to lose people without so much as a goodbye. Isabelle had never cried in front of anyone but her family and somehow, showing Simon this vulnerable side of her had been what cemented everything for them.

Now it had been twenty years since Alec vanished.

Isabelle and Simon had a son. They named him Alexander, for obvious reasons, and had been getting on with life. It shocked Isabelle how domestic she had become. Of course, she still went out on missions and fought to uphold the Accords, which had been adjusted and reinstated to benefit everyone, but there were days where she didn't mind staying at home doing housework (which she shared equally with Simon because to hell with her doing it all herself).

Alexander was beginning grade school and Simon had business in the city that he had to see to. So sometimes Isabelle was left alone at home. She used the time to herself; whether it be cleaning; watching t.v; or practising her whip out in the back garden.

On a particular September afternoon, Isabelle was washing the windowsill in her front room when she saw something outside in her driveway. It was something black out of the corner of her eye and she sighed, thinking it was the neighbour's cat coming to ruin her grass again. She straightened up and looked outside, but what she saw wasn't the cat.

Alec stood in her driveway, his blue eyes shining as he watched her through the window. Isabelle's throat constricted and she covered her mouth with her hand. He was so much older, his shoulders broader and his face slightly weathered. A couple of paces behind him was Magnus, looking the exact same as the day he was arrested by Malachi.

Isabelle ditched her cloth and vaulted over her sofa, nearly ripping the door off its hinges as she ran outside. She was convinced that she was dreaming, and when she went outside there would be nothing but an empty driveway like there always was.

This time was different.

Isabelle jumped at Alec, bursting into tears when he actually caught her. No falling through; no sign of madness or apparition; he was really here. Her legs went around his waist and she clutched the back of his jacket like he was going to disappear if she didn't hold on as tight as humanely possible.

"I've missed you," Alec said, holding her as tight as she was holding him.

"You came back," Isabelle sobbed.

"Of course I did." Alec's breath shuddered in his chest. "I am so, so proud of you, Izzy."

Isabelle smiled through her tears, always having daydreamed about hearing Alec saying that to her but never in her wildest dreams having thought it would ever happen. "I never thought I would see you again," she whimpered.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Isabelle loosened her grip, letting her legs slide back down to the ground again. Her knees felt like jelly and for the first time her feet wobbled in her high heels. "Don't apologise," she scolded, trying to get herself together but failing miserably. "You were doing what was right." She scowled and slapped his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Thanks for leaving a note!" Isabelle snapped sarcastically, feeling her mascara running down her face and trying to get it under control again.

Magnus laughed behind them and came to stand beside Alec. "We didn't have a pen," he said.

Alec rubbed where Isabelle had hit him subconsciously. His hands were weathered, like his face, the webs between his fingers still there and the claws curled inwards. Isabelle smiled through watery eyes. "You've gotten old," she said.

"Well, it has been twenty years," Alec smiled wearily. "Nearly forty now."

"But doesn't look a day over twenty," Magnus smiled, kissing the top of Alec's head.

"You're such a liar," Alec muttered, shaking his head with a smile. He looked at Isabelle through the strands of dark hair that fell over his eyes. "Max?"

"Studying culture in mundane university," Isabelle answered. She saw all the tension melt away from Alec at the knowledge that Max was okay. "And your nephew is at school at the moment."

Alec blinked, looking stunned. "My what?"

"Your nephew." Isabelle lifted her finger and tapped the gold band. "He started school at the beginning of the month. If you hang around, then you'll be able to meet him."

Alec's eyes watered and Isabelle exhaled heavily through her nose, forcing herself not to start crying again. "You had a baby?" he asked, his voice small.

Isabelle nodded. "His name's Alexander."

Alec closed his eyes and Magnus smiled, rubbing the younger man's back comfortingly. "Damnit, I said I wouldn't cry," Alec cursed, lifting a hand to his face and covering his eyes as if it were going to hide from Isabelle that he was choked up. "I said I wasn't going to get upset about this."

Magnus' cat eyes sparkled as he looked to Isabelle. "I knew he was lying."

Isabelle stepped towards Alec and enclosed him in her arms. She had thought about what it would be like to tell Alec about her son, about how she named him after him because she wanted Alexander to know all about his uncle; who had sacrificed so much in the name of his family. Now that she was actually doing it, she almost couldn't believe it.

The rolling of wheels against the pavement made Isabelle look up. Clary appeared, pushing James in his buggy. Emily was walking alongside her, clearly begging for something. Clary rolled her eyes and looked to Isabelle's house, and stopped dead when she saw the huddle in the driveway. Emily stopped too, frowning in confusion. "Mum?" she asked. "Mum, are you even listening to me?"

"I have to call your father," Clary said, grabbing her mobile from her pocket and ringing Jace. She approached them as she spoke, smiling like a maniac. "Jace, you have to get to Isabelle's house now! Don't question me just do it!"

"How come when I talk to dad like that it's all 'oooh, stop having an attitude Em!'" Emily demanded.

"Alec!" Clary exclaimed once she hung up, leaving Emily with James pram and hugging Alec, despite the older man's slight discomfort. She hugged Magnus too, laughing when he lifted her up and spun her around. "Oh my god, why are you both back? Not that it's not great to see you and all that but, well, is it safe now? You won't be hunted anymore?"

"Since the war ended, it's only been a matter of time," said Magnus. "We waited a few years, just to be sure, but as soon as we were sure, we came home."

Emily pushed James closer, a confused frown on her face. "Wait, wait, wait," she said. "Is this the Alec? The vanished-without-a-trace Alec? Dad's parabatai?" Her golden eyes grew wide with realisation. "Oh."

"This is your uncle Alec, Emily," Clary said. Even she was tearing up. Isabelle didn't blame her. This was always going to be sob fest. "And his boyfriend Magnus Bane."

"The warlock," Emily stated. "I always thought you were telling me fairytales because you didn't want me to know that dad maybe murdered his parabatai or something . . ."

"So you're Jace's children?" Alec crouched in front of James' pram. The salt water that had gathered in his eyes as a result of discovering Alexander hadn't shifted since and his azure iris' where shining with something Isabelle hadn't seen in her brother in such a long time. Happiness. "You both look so much like him . . ."

"I know, you'd think I didn't contribute any genes at all," Clary scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Alec's hand went to his chest and he smiled to himself. "Jace is coming . . ."

Moments later, Jace appeared at the top of the street. "I swear Clary, if this is because Isabelle has a new 'innovative' idea for a hairstyle I'm going to start switching my phone off when I go out on patrol," he said.

Clary laughed, saying nothing. Jace frowned at her but also didn't answer. He immediately went to Emily, kissing her forehead and giving her a hug. "Hi sweetheart, you okay?"

"A bit bewildered, to be honest," Emily answered frankly.

"Why's that?" Jace wove around his daughter to kiss James but was stopped when Alec stood up. Jace looked like he had been frozen in stasis for a moment, simply staring with a confused frown as if he were trying to solve some sort of puzzle. Isabelle watched Jace carefully. It was difficult to notice when Jace would show emotions for he was very good at hiding them.

Jace took a deep breath. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked. His voice wasn't angry, in fact he actually sounded upset, which was rare for Jace.

"I've been away," Alec said sheepishly.

"No fucking kidding."

They hugged. No more words needed to be exchanged because, despite the fact that it was an emotional moment, their parabatai bond basically did most of the talking for them.

Isabelle moved over to Magnus. "Take a walk with me," she said.

Magnus didn't question her, he simply turned and walked with her down the driveway. He combed his hair out of the way of his eyes with his fingers, the sparkly polish on each nail catching the sunlight. "We would have come back as soon as the war ended," he said. "But Alec was scared. Loyalists and the like. We know that it grew to be no secret why the underground movement began, and Alec was worried that his coming back would have painted a target on your head."

"There was already a target on my head because I created the movement," Isabelle murmured. Over the course of the rebellion, there had been many attempts on her life. It had become second nature to her to always look over her shoulder twice and to look left and right not twice, but thrice, to be completely sure.

"Alec spent the past twenty years well," Magnus said, knowing that Isabelle wanted to assurance. Not from Alec himself, because even if he hadn't had a good life, he would surely tell Isabelle that he had. "He fretted a lot, but he was always confident in your ability to look after yourself."

"We're old now," Isabelle said. "All of us . . . Twenty years is such a long time. I can see the exhaustion in Alec's eyes. He's not as young as he used to be."

"I think that's the point of being old," Magnus commented.

"But you haven't aged a day," Isabelle answered, getting to her point. "You look as young as you were the day Malachi arrested you. The last time I saw you."

Magnus smiled, amused. "I am older than you all, my dear," he said. "Maybe not physically but definitely in mentality."

"Now that Alec can be here safely . . . Are you going to leave him?" asked Isabelle.

Magnus' smile faded a little and his eyes grew serious. "I would never leave him. Not then, not now, not ever," he said. "There will be a day where he will die and I will have to move on, however, and even I don't know how I'm going to handle it. I thought over the years I would adjust to the idea but . . ."

Isabelle looked to the pavement. "He grew on you."

"Without even trying."

Isabelle laughed softly. She looked at Magnus and took his hands into her own. "Thank you for looking after him. Thank you for bringing him back to me," she said.

Magnus shook his head. "You shouldn't be thanking me," he said. "I should be thanking you."

This made Isabelle frown. Thank her? "What do you have to thank me for?" she asked.

"Isabelle!" Clary called, interrupting the conversation. Isabelle looked over her shoulder and smiled at the sight of Alec holding James. He was doing it like a pro, like he had been doing it his entire life, propping the baby against his hip and supporting his back with his hand. She ran back to the group, unable to resist hugging her brother again.

Magnus stood at the end of the driveway, watching the reunion fondly. His eyes caught Alec's and the Shadowhunter smiled at him. In that moment, the crow's feet faded and the laughter lines smoothed out, and Magnus could entertain the idea that he and Alec could spend the rest of their lives together. Well, in part it was true. Alec could spend the rest of his life with Magnus. Magnus couldn't spend the rest of his life with Alec, as much as he dearly wished he could.

Alec jerked his head in a 'get over here' gesture and Magnus returned the smile, nodding at his husband. He sighed and answered Isabelle's question, even though she was too far to hear him.

"For setting us all free."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm not normally one to write sappy happy endings but come on, this one is very bittersweet in a good way, right? I know it's probably not what some of you expected; or wanted; or maybe you did want it but knew it would be too cheesy; but I like this epilogue. Sure, it's very fix-it and maybe a bit too sappy for some, but I'm happy with it :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read, favourited and reviewed this story! Your constant support kept me motivated, especially during that long, long hiatus where even I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back to it. You're all fantastic readers and I'm so lucky to have you guys :)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello! As well as my HG fanfics, I've decided to dip my toe into the TMI pool to write some Malec! I know this chapter is short but it's only the prologue. It's just a bit of background anyway and a bit of insight into what's to come :)
> 
> If you're here because of the books, that's great! If you're here because of the show, that's great too, and I can assure you that are no spoilers whatsoever from the series in this story. However, if I suspect there is something that could potentially ruin future plots, I'll be sure it mention it beforehand.
> 
> Enjoy!


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